Call It Anything But Love
by emiliciouslove
Summary: After her last interaction with Steve McGarrett left a bitter taste in her mouth, Allison Jace had her mind set on cutting him out of her life completely. However, Allison's bruised heart might just have other ideas and a trip to Hawaii with her best friends might throw a wrench in her plan. Steve/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Authors note: I've been working on this story for a while so I figured I should finally do something with it. This is my first time posting anything on here and I appreciate any constructive criticism or comments :)**

Allison Jace lazed on a quiet beach, enjoying the hot Hawaiian sun. A smile played on her lips as she watched her best friend, Macy's horrible attempts at 'catching a wave'. Macy's boyfriend, Tanner, had grown up in sunny California and consequently had been surfing almost as long as he could walk which meant he felt it was his duty to share this knowledge with anyone who would listen. However, despite his constant begging, Allison had refused to participate in today's lesson. It wasn't that she was afraid of water, in fact she never passed up a chance to swim in lakes or pools, but the threat of sharks, and other various ocean mammals, was the reason behind her decision to sit this little activity out. She didn't mind though, spending the whole day relaxing on the beach was a perfectly great way to pass the time in her eyes. She soon realized her quiet time was about to be disturbed though as she saw her friends paddle to shore and run across the beach towards her.

"Surfing is really hard!" Macy said, flopping on her towel, out of breath.

"Nah, it's not." Tanner argued as he stood his board up in the sand. "You just need more practice, babe."

"A lot more, from what I could see." Allison teased, flashing her friend a smile. Macy laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Well at least I tried it! You're so lazy. Lounging on the beach all day as sleazy men ogle you." She said, gesturing to a passing man whose eyes were clearly fixed on Allison's hardly covered body.

"Well can you blame them?" Allison smirked. "I look bangin' in his bikini." Macy giggled.

"Bangin'? Wow. Classy."

"Oh hun, you know I am all about class." Allison said, a slight sarcastic tone to her words. "Speaking of, who's up for some partying tonight?" The suggestion was met by an awkward silence before Macy sighed.

"Again?" She asked. "Al, this will be the fourth time this week. Don't you think you should...take it a little easy?" Tanner nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, and we were thinking we could visit Steve tonight. He's the reason we came here and we've hardly seen him..."

"No, I don't think I should 'take it easy'." Allison snapped defensively. "And go ahead, but I have no interest in seeing _him_ anyway."

"You should though," Macy insisted, ignoring Allison's second comment. "You're twenty-four, almost twenty-five, its kinda time you started looking for something more serious. All this promiscuous sex is starting to get a little..." She trailed off.

"A little what? Pathetic?" Allison asked, her temper quickly rising.

"Well...yeah." Macy's voice was quiet.

"Wow. Thanks for the confidence boost. You're my friend, Mace. You're supposed to support me, not critique my lifestyle choices. And honestly, who are you to judge? Maybe I'm searching for my soul mate, or have you conveniently forgotten that when you met Tanner you were just out looking for a one night stand?"

Macy stayed silent and fiddled with the edge of her towel, not wanting to admit that her friend was right. Noticing his girlfriend's defeat, Tanner quickly jumped to her aide.

"That may be true, but ignoring all of their calls is not the best way to connect with the love of your life." He pointed out.

"Maybe I'm just making them work for it." Allison lied. Deep down she knew they were just looking out for her, but acting like parents more so than friends was only frustrating her.

"Whatever," Tanner said with a sigh. "Anyway, we're going to go see Steve tonight. You should come."

"No." Allison said firmly. "Even if I didn't already have plans, I wouldn't come and you know that."

"You can't still be angry with him." Tanner groaned.

"I can, and I am. He's a liar, he's manipulative, he's selfish, he's an ass-"

"And he's my best friend." Tanner cut her off. "So watch what you say and have a little respect." Allison rolled her eyes and stood up.

"As far as I'm concerned, Steven McGarrett doesn't deserve my respect." She quickly slipped on a pair of shorts before grabbing her towel and her bag. "But have a good night guys, I'll see you later." Without waiting for a response, Allison turned and walked away.


	2. Chapter 2

Her dress was short, but her heels and confidence were high as Allison walked into the most popular club in town. She headed straight to the bar and quickly tossed back her first drink. Her friends' words had bothered her more than she cared to admit and as usual she planned to drown her feelings in vodka and emotionless sex. She ordered a second drink and took a moment to look around. It immediately became apparent, due to the number of men who couldn't take their eyes off of her, that she would have no trouble accomplishing her goal. After carefully looking over each of the men near her, she chose her 'conquest' for the night. He was a tall, dark, well dressed Hawaiian who looked to be about her own age. He was standing with two other men, but his attention was completely focused on Allison. If he was trying to be subtle, he was failing horribly and his obvious interest made him an easy target. Usually that would work against him as Allison believed strongly that nothing worth having comes easy, but after her rough afternoon she decided to settle, just this once.

"Let the games begin," She whispered to herself as she made eye contact with the stranger. With a well practiced flip of her hair, she slowly licked her lips before sipping her drink and sending him a quick wink. Her invitation did not go unnoticed and, just as she had planned, the man began to make his way across the bar towards her.

"Hey there," He said, flashing her a smile. "I'm Leolani, but you can call me Leo."

"Allison." She returned his smile. "But you can call me Ally." Leo moved closer.

"Well, Ally, how about I buy you a drink?"

"Sure," She said, quickly finishing the rest of the one she was holding. "That would be lovely. I'll have vodka and cranberry." Leo nodded and ordered their drinks.

"So, are you from around here?" He asked once they had their beverages.

"Nah, I'm from the mainland. Just visiting with some friends."

"Nice. And have you been experiencing the aloha spirit? Mastering the art of surfing?"

"Oh yeah, definitely felt the 'aloha spirit', but no. I haven't been surfing. It's not really my thing."

"No? That's too bad. I wouldn't mind seeing that hot little body in a bikini." Allison laughed.

"Well just because I don't like to surf doesn't mean that I don't find other ways to show off my 'hot little body'..." She smirked as Leo moved closer once again.

"Yeah, I can tell," He ran his hand down her waist. "This dress really accentuates your assets."

"You think so?" He nodded. "Well honey, you ain't seen nothing yet."

Seducing Leo was every bit as easy as Allison had anticipated. He ate right out of the palm of her hand and after countless drinks and almost two hours of dancing she was leaving in the back of a taxi with his tongue in her mouth.

"God, you're so hot." He said, breathing heavily.

"Mmm, and you're so strong." She said, a little over enthusiastically just to stroke his ego. He grinned and kissed her again.

"I hate to break up the party back there," The cab driver said a few minutes later. "But we've been sitting outside your house for two minutes now." Allison pulled away giggling wildly.

"Oh, sorry mister." She turned to Leo and whispered in his ear. "You should tip him well." Leo nodded and hastily paid before eagerly dragging her outside. When they got inside the house, there were girls in short dresses cuddling up to men all over the house. "Wow...lots of roommates." Allison observed.

"Uh, yeah...Roomates..." Leo quickly distracted her and led her to a room at the end of the hall. She giggled and flopped down on his bed.

"Ooh, comfy." She said, kicking off her heels. He smiled, shrugged off his jacket and started to unbutton his shirt. However, it soon became obvious just how drunk her new 'friend' was as he struggled to undo any of them. Allison sighed. "Come here, big boy. Maybe I can help."

Leo obliged and she quickly removed the offending garment. Nevertheless, things just went downhill from there. Despite her best efforts to make the night end happily for both parties, Allison's companion was useless. As the alcohol he'd been tossing back seemed to hit him like a truck, his kissing got sloppy, his focus was wandering and as Allison paid a little _special attention_ to a delicate part of Leo's anatomy in a last ditch attempt to get him to rise to attention, the alcohol took over completely and the sound of Leo's snoring filled the room.

A groan of frustration fell from her lips as she debated what to do, but with the alcohol clouding her vision she simply decided the easiest thing to do was stay the night and slip out in the morning before anyone else was awake. So, filled with disappointment and dissatisfaction, Allison slipped out of her party dress and crawled onto the bed next to her almost-lover.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day started with a bang. Quite literally. Allison awoke to the sound of the door swinging open and smashing on the wall and before she could even remember where she was, she was being dragged out of bed.

"Freeze, HPD!" One of the armed men yelled as her hands were pulled behind her back. Allison blinked a couple of times, the bright light from the window and all the commotion wasn't doing anything to help her pounding head from the night before.

"What the fuck is going on?" She asked as she saw Leo being slammed against the wall and patted down before he was handcuffed. She hadn't even noticed that she too had been restrained.

"Ma'am, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law." The officer behind her informed her.

"Silent?" She yelled. "You want me to remain silent when I am currently under arrest and don't have any fucking idea why?" The officer sighed.

"That man over there, your boyfriend, is a known member of the Samoan gang and currently under arrest for drug possession and trafficking."

"First of all, he's not my boyfriend." Allison argued. "And secondly, what the fuck does that have to do with me?" She waited for a response as she watched them lead Leo out of the room. Things were starting to fall into place though. The long trips to the bathroom with other men, the house full of 'roommates'. Now that she had sobered up, it did all seem a little suspicious.

"It'll all be explained down at the station, ma'am." Was all the officer said as he not-so-gently pushed her out of the room, leaving her to ponder how on earth she could have gotten herself in so much trouble and how she could possibly get out of it.

After sitting quietly in the back seat of a cop car for almost ten minutes, Allison couldn't take it anymore.

"What about my dress and my stuff? It's all back at the house."

"Your belongings will be gathered at the crime scene and returned to you after the investigation."

"Seriously? Even my dress? You might not have noticed, but I'm practically naked back here!"

"She has to be the most talkative person we've ever arrested," He muttered to his partner before turning his attention back to Allison. "We'll find you a blanket once we get back to the station." He promised. Allison glared, but chose to stay quiet for the rest of the drive.

When they got to the station, the officer that spoke to her got out quickly and found a blanket in the trunk. Then he opened the door and pulled her out before draping it over her shoulders and covering her with it.

"Thanks," She mumbled. He nodded and led her inside. She wasn't exactly sure where they were taking her, but didn't think asking would work in her favour, especially not after the officer's comment in the car, so she just followed, keeping her head high.

Much to Allison's surprise, none of the detectives or officers inside the station even raised their head as she was marched inside behind a few other girls and several gang members. Allison had just let her mind wander once again to how she was going to get herself out of this situation when a voice she absolutely did not want to hear pulled her from her thoughts.

"Ally?" She froze momentarily at the sound of Lieutenant Commander Steven McGarrett's voice, but quickly composed herself and picked up the pace a bit.

"Hey, slow down." The officer scolded, pulling her back. She groaned as she heard Steve's footsteps getting closer, but did as the officer said.

"Officer, what's going on here?" He asked once he caught up to them.

"We just completed a raid on one of the Samoan gang hide-outs, Commander. Now we're bringing all the members that were there in for questioning." The officer seemed unsure as he answered, obviously suspicious of McGarrett's interest. McGarrett, however, was too preoccupied to notice.

"Ally, what did you do?" He asked quietly, as he turned to face her.

"Allison," She snapped. "My name is Allison. And I can't tell you what I did because I don't even know."

Her temper was rising again. This whole situation was already making her hangover almost unbearable and now having to deal with _him_ was only making this worse. Steve turned back to the officer, waiting for an answer.

"She was found cuddling up with one of the higher ranking gang members. He's currently wanted for drug possession and trafficking and is a possible suspect in a recent murder." He explained.

"A murder suspect? You didn't mention that earlier!" Allison shouted, realizing she might be a lot more trouble than she had originally thought. "But I still don't see what that has to do with me!"

"Well that's what we want to find out," The officer's tone made it very clear that he was running out of patience and Steve quickly picked up on that.

"Look," He sighed. "I know this girl and I know she didn't have anything to do with any business the Samoan gang have." The officer didn't look so convinced. "So why don't you release her into my custody, I'll find out what she knows and make sure she's learnt her lesson?"

"No, no, noooo." Allison frantically shook her head. "I would rather go to jail than be released into this man's custody."

Steve stared at Allison like she was crazy, but the officer ignored her anyway.

"I'm not sure I'm allowed to do that, Commander." The officer said. "We were given strict orders to bring everyone in for questioning."

"Yeah? Well I'm giving you another order. Release this woman into my custody now or I'll tell your superiors about how you disobeyed a direct order from a much higher ranking officer!"

"He's lying," Allison insisted, trying to win over the officer. "He does that a lot. Please, please don't make me go with him."

"Allison, be quiet." The harsh tone in Steve's voice made it clear he wasn't messing around and Allison reluctantly did as she was told. The officer sighed and gently pushed her towards the Commander.

"Fine, she's all yours." He said, seeming almost relieved. "But good luck with this one."

McGarrett didn't move until the officer had walked away. Then he put his hand on Allison's shoulder and led her towards an empty interrogation room.


	4. Chapter 4

"So the rumours are true," McGarrett said once they were alone.

"Well that would depend on what the rumours are, Steven." Allison said, rubbing her newly freed wrists.

"The rumours that you've been taking over this island one man at a time," He explained. Allison laughed.

"No doubt those rumours were spread by Macy and Tanner and no, they're not true. A couple of one night stands is hardly taking over an island." She watched him carefully trying to catch any flicker of emotion as those words left her mouth, but she didn't see any. He'd always been hard to read.

"Well you need to be more careful, Ally! That man you were with last night is dangerous and not someone you want to be involved with."

"For the last time, Commander. My name is Allison. Only friends get to call me Ally." She said through clenched teeth. Steve stopped pacing and rubbed his temple, obviously frustrated.

"Seriously, _Allison_, you can't still be upset with me." Steve said, sounding a lot like Tanner had the day before.

"Excuse me?" She said, hardly believing what she was hearing. "You lied to me, you manipulated me and then humiliated me and you think you have the right to tell me how long I'm allowed to be upset for?"

"You're blowing it out of proportion," Steve insisted, only infuriating Allison more. "Just let me explain-"

"No." Shesaid firmly. "No, if you wanted to explain, not that I can think of any possible explanation for what you did, then you could have called me countless times in the last year, but you didn't. So no, I will not let you explain." Steve's face hardened and his brow furrowed.

"Fine, but just because I hurt you doesn't mean you should go sleeping around with whoever you can find!"

"Steven, my personal life is none of your business. Just charge me whatever I'm going to be charged with and leave me alone."

"You're not going to be charged with anything. They know you have nothing to do with the Samoans, they're just trying to scare you a little."

"Good," Allison stood up. "Then I'll be leaving now."

"Sit down," Steve instructed, folding his arms and leaning against the door.

"What? Why?"

"This is a serious investigation that you've got yourself involved in, I can't just let you go without asking you a few questions." He informed her. She sat down again.

"Fine. Then let's just get this over with."

"Alright, so who exactly were you with last night?" He asked.

"Leo something. I don't remember." Steve gave her a suspicious look. "I was drunk! And he said just to call him Leo so I obliged and forgot the rest."

"Okay, so what were you doing with 'Leo'?"

"I think we're getting back to 'none of your business' territory, Steven." Allison said with a glare.

"I already know you slept with the guy, that much is obvious. What I need to know is if you did anything else? Did you stop anywhere on the way home? Did he meet with anyone?"

"You mean did I see him deal any drugs?" Steve nodded. "No, I didn't. He did take a couple of long bathroom trips with some friends, but I figured it was just like when girls go the bathroom together, not some big drug deal..."

"Would you be able to I.D any of those friends?" Steve asked, hoping to get something worth telling the other officer.

"Honestly, no. As I said, I was drunk and not really paying attention."

"And there were no other stops or mysterious meetings?"

"No, nothing."

"Okay,"

"And for the record," Allison said. "Despite my best efforts, I didn't sleep with him. He passed out shortly after we got back to his house."

"Wow, you sure know how to pick 'em." Steve chuckled.

Allison glared once again and let out a bitter laugh.

"Yeah, I mean, I picked you, didn't I?" Steve's face hardened once again.

"Allison, I-"

"I don't want to hear it. Honestly, Steven. What's done is done and we both just need to move past it and live our separate lives."

"Then why did you come to my father's funeral?" Steve had been dying to know the answer ever since he saw there a few weeks ago, but at the time he wasn't up for confrontations and she'd been excellent at avoiding him ever since.

"I liked the guy." She said with a shrug. "I only met him once, but he was so welcoming...He didn't deserve what happened to him."

"Right, of course." Steve mumbled.

"Can I go now?" Allison asked, wanting to end the awkward silence that had filled the room. Steve smirked.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. I mean, you're in my custody so ultimately I'm responsible if I let you go and you run right back to the Samoans."

"You have got to be kidding me, Steven!" She yelled. "I am not a gang member and you know it!" The smirk on his face only made her more upset. "Don't you have serious police work to do? That blonde dude out there has been watching us for like five minutes now." She said, gesturing to the detective who was peering through the window in the door.

"That's my partner, Danny Williams, and I'm sure he'll understand when I explain that I was interrogating a Samoan gangster."

"Okay, I am done here." Allison said, standing up from her chair so fast it fell over behind her. "If you're not going to press charges then I'm leaving." Steve moved away from the door and waited for her to come over before speaking again.

"I bet Macy and Tanner will be real disappointed when they hear you were arrested." Allison froze, her hand still on the door knob.

"I wasn't planning on telling them. And you're not going to either." She said firmly.

"Well how do you plan on explaining your current outfit? Or did you forget that you're hardly dressed?" She noticed his eyes drift over her body and pulled the blanket tighter around herself.

"With the way I've been lately, they probably won't even question it." Now it was her turn to smirk, and smirk she did before opening the door and walking out.

"May I ask why you were in there for so long with a half naked woman?" She heard the blonde man ask as she walked away.

"No, Danno. You may not." She smiled at Steve's response before turning the corner and marching straight towards the front door.


	5. Chapter 5

**Authours note: Just a warning, there is adult content in this chapter.**

As Allison had told Steve she would, she faced nothing more than disapproving looks when she arrived home. However, she hardly gave them time to comment. Her hangover was still killing her and her patience was thin after dealing with Steve so, after making sure her friends knew she was okay, she went straight to bed. This, however, did nothing to ease her problems as her dreams were haunted by images of the night that Steve McGarrett ruined their friendship.

"Allison, stop fussing." Macy said, smiling at her friend's nervousness. "You're hair looks great and we're just going to a club, it'll be too dark to see it anyway."

"No, it won't." Allison insisted, but reluctantly left her hair alone. "And I can't help it. I'm nervous."

"Nervous about seeing the Super Seal again?" Macy giggled, the pre-party drinks obviously kicking in.

"Yeah...what if he found someone else while he was away?" She fretted. "Not that he was really mine or anything, but he was into me, right?"

"Totally," Macy nodded eagerly. "And just between me and you...Tanner said he didn't find anyone else at all." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "He hasn't had sex in three months." Allison joined her in a fit of giggles.

"Well this might be easier than I thought," She grinned.

"Girl, with that ass and that dress, you might not even make it off the dance floor." They giggled some more before finally heading out the door.

The club they were going to was only about two blocks away and when they arrived, Steve and Tanner were waiting outside.

"Steve!" Macy yelled before running up to him and throwing her arms around his neck. Allison decided to play it a little cooler and hung back a bit.

"It's good to see you, Steve," She said, flashing him a smile. "I'm glad you made it home alive." He smiled and pulled her in for a hug.

"Of course I did, wouldn't wanna disappoint the girls back home." Allison could hear Macy giggle once again and she smiled before playfully pushing Steve away.

"Well this girl 'back home' thinks you owe her a drink for all the stress she went through wondering if you were dead." She teased him.

"Oh really?" Allison nodded. "We better get inside then," He said leading the group towards the line.

"Oh my god," Macy slurred while accompanying Allison to the bathroom to 'freshen up'. "He is all over you!"

"I know!" Allison grinned. "It's so unlike him, but he's only had a couple of beers so he's not even drunk!" Macy's giggles stopped abruptly and she turned to face her friend.

"I don't want to scare you, but I'm 99% sure that man wants you to have his babies."

Allison copied her friend's serious expression.

"I'm 99% sure that I am totally okay with that." The two friends held each other's stare for a moment longer before the giggles overtook them for the millionth time that night. "Well we should hurry back. I have babies to conceive." Allison joked as she led her friend back towards the dance floor.

"Hey ladies," Steve greeted them, holding out another drink for Allison.

"Hello there Sailor," She practically purred, accepting his offering.

"Tanner, let's go daaaance!" Macy said, enthusiastically, hoping to give the other couple some time alone. Once they were gone, Steve put his arms around Allison's waist and pulled her close.

"You're so pretty," He smiled, brushing hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ears. She felt her cheeks turn pink and placed her drink on the bar beside them.

"Why thank you, Steve. You're quite handsome as well." He didn't respond and instead locked his eyes on hers. He gently pulled her even closer as he slowly lowered his face towards hers.

"I'm going to kiss you now, okay?" He asked, his voice husky. Allison tried to answer, but all she could do was simply nod. That was more than enough for Steve and he quickly closed the gap between them. Their kiss was passionate and filled with need. Allison felt Steve's hands wander down to her bottom and squeeze gently causing her to giggle and pull away.

"I want you so bad," She said, putting her arms around his neck. Steve smiled.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" He asked, knowing the answer. And just as he expected, Allison nodded eagerly.

They had hardly made it through the door of Allison and Macy's apartment before Steve began to fumble with the zipper of her strapless dress. She waited for him to finish unzipping before she spun around and reconnected their lips, letting the dress slide down to the floor. Without separating their lips, Steve pushed her backwards leading her towards her room as she began to unbutton his shirt. She pushed his shirt off his shoulders and let it fall to the hallway floor, just outside her room. Once he got her to the bed, he gently shoved her making her fall on to her back. She watched his eyes once again move over her body before coming back to meet hers.

"You're so beautiful, Ally." He said, before slowly crawling over her. "I really like you." Allison felt her cheeks heat up once again.

"I really like you too, Steve." She lightly kissed his lips. "I missed you so much when you left."

"I missed you too," He admitted. "I thought about you all the time. You kept me going." She grinned.

"Good. I'm glad that was enough to get you home, and back to me, safely." Steve returned her grin before capturing her lips once again. However, this time he didn't stop there. He carefully manoeuvred his lips down her jaw line to her neck and down to her chest, leaving kisses as he went. Allison quickly leaned up, resting on her elbows, giving him access to undo her bra. He eagerly and easily unhooked it and barely had time to toss it aside before his lips were capturing one of her hardened nipples while his fingers teased the other. A quiet moan fell from her lips as she let her head fall back, enjoying the moment, but as his hands wandered south, she stopped him. "Hold on, Sailor. You're wearing far too many clothes."

"That's okay," He stretched up to kiss her lips once more. "This is all about you." As much as Allison wanted to argue, she could tell by the fierce look in his eye that there was no hope. He was 'Commander McGarrett' after all and that role obviously extended into the bedroom. Sensing her compliance, Steve once again moved his hands down to the only covered part of her anatomy. Slowly, he slid his hand under the silky material and as he silenced her moans with his mouth, he carefully teased her clit. A smirk slid onto his face as she pulled away from his lips and gasped.

"Steve," She groaned, squeezing her eyes shut and focusing on the sensations his hands were causing. He watched her face for a moment before connecting their lips again and gently slipping two fingers inside her. She let out a quiet moan as Steve expertly located that little, perfect spot and rested his thumb on her clit. "Oh god, Steve." She moaned. He lowered his head to her neck, sucking and biting as her breathing got faster. She arched up against him as her release grew closer, only causing him to increase his efforts. "Oh my god," She practically howled as her orgasm hit her. Steve waited a moment for her to catch her breath before removing his fingers. "Now, it's your turn," She grinned, pushing him back to unbutton his pants.

"Okay," He said, watching her. Once she got his pants out of the way, she crawled backwards up the bed.

"Lie down." She ordered.

"Say please," He said with a smirk. She playfully rolled her eyes.

"Please," She said, giving him her best 'sexy pout'.

"Much better," He smiled and did as she asked. Once he was settled, Allison climbed on top of him and, starting at his neck, trailed kisses down his body until she reached his hard member. Looking up at Steve, she slowly licked from the base to the tip. She watched as he groaned and clutched the sheets. She seductively licked her lips before slowly and teasingly taking him into her mouth. He tossed his head back and groaned once again. Allison continued to watch him, letting out a moan herself, enjoying the pleasure she was giving him. However, just as Allison pulled back, leaving just the tip in her mouth, and brought one hand up to help, Steve interrupted. "Stop," He choked out.

"What?" Allison said, moving away slightly.

"You...you need to stop that," His breath was heavy and Allison understood what he meant. With a giggle, she crawled back up his body.

"Poor Commander, getting a little too excited?" She teased. He simply growled and flipped them over before pressing his lips against hers forcefully. She smiled and pressed her body up towards his. He wasted no time finally getting rid of her panties and without any warning, he slid inside. Allison gasped, caught by surprise, but her gasp quickly turned into a moan. Steve paused, giving her time to adjust, but when she begun to squirm beneath him, he decided to not waste any more time and slowly moved his hips. His thrusts started out gently, almost loving, but quickly escalated to being frantic, hard and desperate.

"God, you're so..." Steve trailed off, but no words were needed. Allison smiled and pulled his head down, silencing him with her lips. As she did this, Steve angled his thrusts, finding the spot once again.

"Oh Steve," She screamed, her release hitting her like a truck. Watching her pleasure was too much for Steve and with one final thrust he tossed his head back, groaning as pleasure overtook him as well.

The next morning Allison was flooded with memories of the night before as soon as she opened her eyes. A smile burst onto her face and she quickly rolled over, but was disappointed to find that he wasn't there. After checking the clock and realizing it was almost eleven, she rationalized that Steve had probably just gotten up already, after all he was never one for sleeping late, but for some reason this thought did nothing to ease the horrible feeling she had in her stomach. Ignoring her concerns and the dull ache in her head, Allison quickly slid out of bed, found herself some pajamas and once she was suitably covered, made her way out to the kitchen in search of coffee and her man. The smell floating down the hallway made her aware that one of her searches would not be in vain, but as she passed through the living room and into the kitchen, she realized that the other half would.

"Where's Steve?" She asked her friends who were sitting in the kitchen. Macy could hardly hide the smirk on her face.

"He's not in your room?" She asked. "After seeing your clothes scattered in the hallway, we figured that's where you ended up last night." Allison's cheeks flushed.

"Uh, yeah. We did."

"Finally," Tanner grinned. "It's about time you two finally got together."

"But...he's not there. Did he leave a note?"

"Not out here, Sweetie." Macy said gently, her smirk replaced with a concerned look.

"Oh," Allison's tone conveyed her confusion. "I'll be right back." She told her friends before heading back her room in a daze. Why would he leave? What about everything he said?

Allison searched around her room, but it didn't take long for her to come to the conclusion that, no, there was no note. She nervously chewed on her lip as she found her phone on her bedside table. She opened a text to Steve and pondered what to say. After rewriting at least four times, she eventually settled on a message.

"_Hey :), Last night was great. Just wondering where you ran off to? I was hoping for another round ;)_"

But Allison never got a reply. She even tried calling once it became obvious he wasn't going to reply to her text, but all her calls went straight to voicemail. Steve was avoiding her and two lonely weeks later, Allison realized she had been played.


	6. Chapter 6

The dream plagued Allison for almost a week, but luckily while sleeping was the only time she had seen Steve. Reliving the hurt every night was slowly driving her insane, the kind of insane that can usually be fixed quite simply with the right amount of alcohol, but since getting arrested Allison hadn't felt much like going out. Her friend's had been suspicious at first, but Allison soon managed to convince them that their advice about finding a more meaningful relationship had finally sunk in and she had decided to cut back on the casual sex.

Because of the peace that had filled the household lately, Allison was surprised to find a look that could make even the toughest gangster cry on her best friend's face when she walked out of her room that morning.

"What?" Allison asked, completely unaware of what she had done this time.

"Would you care to explain why Steve McGarrett, on behalf of the Honolulu police department, was just here returning the dress and shoes you were wearing the last time you went out?" Macy's tone was harsh and accusing and Allison knew her friend was a whole new level of unimpressed.

"Um, not really?" She said, clinging to the hope that maybe just this once Macy would keep her nose out. However, that was absolutely not the case.

"Well you don't really have a choice!" She shouted causing Allison to jump. She pulled herself together quickly though and felt her own temper rise.

"Who are you? My mother?" She snapped back. "It's really none of your business why my clothes were at the Honolulu police department!"

"Of course it's my business! You're my best friend, you should tell me when you get arrested!"

"Really?" Allison said, rolling her eyes. "So you can lecture me about the way I live my life? Sounds like a great plan."

"Well if you didn't always make such stupid choices and end up in dangerous situations then I wouldn't have to lecture you!" Macy argued.

"I do not make stupid choices," Allison said, trying to stay calm. "And even if I do, at least I have fun while I'm making them. You never let lose anymore, Macy. You and Tanner act like some old married couple and you're not even twenty-five yet!"

"I'd rather act old and boring than end up in a jail cell wearing nothing, but slutty lingerie!"

"It wasn't slutty lingerie," Allison defended herself. "And it was a stupid misunderstanding anyway! I didn't do anything wrong, I just ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time and in case you haven't notice, I learnt from my mistake and haven' t gone out drinking since that night."

"Just because you learnt from your mistake doesn't make anything okay!" Macy scolded her. "You were arrested, Allison. You were arrested for sleeping with a drug dealing murderer!"

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Allison yelled, sick of Macy's judgemental tone. "Is that what you want to hear? That I'm ashamed of myself and how I acted and that I'm deeply and truly sorry? That I can hardly stand to look at myself in the mirror because I'm so disgusted with the slut that I see staring back at me? Because, you know what, Macy? It's true. I know that I have nothing to be proud of. I know that people look down on how I live my life. I'm not happy with the way my life has been lately, but I don't have what you have. I don't have a guy like Tanner who loves me and actually wants me for more than just my body and the one time that I actually thought I might finally get that, he turned out to be just like all the others. So yes, I'm a stupid skank, but those men need me when they take me home and at least that makes me feel good for a little while!"

Once she was done, Macy just stared at her friend. She wasn't expecting this kind of confession and was suddenly filled with guilt. Allison however, wasn't going to wait around for her to gather her thoughts and after a few moments of silence, she turned to walk out of the kitchen.

"I'm so done with this," She called over her shoulder as she left the room. "Call me when you decide to start acting like my friend again."

Despite being the one to leave the room, Allison was still wound up and itching for a fight. Desperate to take it out on someone, after a few moments of pointless pacing, she realized who was the most deserving of her anger. _Steve_. He was, after all, the one who caused all of this by bring her clothes over, knowing that Macy and Tanner would be upset. Filled with a new fire, Allison threw on the closest pair of shorts and a tank top, swept her hair into a pony tail and stormed out of her room.

"Where are you going?" Tanner asked just as she made it to the door.

"Why, _Dad_? Am I grounded?" She asked, sarcasm dripping from her words.

"No, I was just wondering if I should start saving up some money for your bail." He shot back. Allison's eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Oh fuck off, Tanner." And with that, she walked out the door.

Allison barged into the Honolulu police department, ready to rip Steve apart. However, after marching towards the reception desk she was met with disappointment.

"Sorry, m'am, but Commander McGarret doesn't work at HPD." The lady informed her.

"What?" She asked, confused. "But he's a cop. Where else would he work?"

"He is a cop, yes. But he works on the governor's task force, or '5-0' as they're more commonly known." The lady looked back to her computer for a moment as she typed quickly. "I'll find you the address."

"Thanks," Allison said, waiting anxiously. Once the receptionist told her the address, Allison raced off again, the delay only adding to her frustrations.

After finally arriving at the right location, Allison stormed past security without a second thought, ignoring their shouts and protests. Knowing they would probably be following her she raced up the sairs and, without even hesitating, she pushed open the glass doors leading to a room with a table in the middle. Steve and his three co-workers were all crowded around it.

"Steven!" She yelled, drawing everyone's attention away from their work.

"Ally?" Steve asked, obviously confused.

"Allison!" She snapped. "My name is Allison. And yes, it's me. The girl whose life you seem intent on ruining!"

Steve's co-workers stared as he calmly approached the infuriated woman.

"I'm not entirely sure I understand, but why don't we take this into my office?"

"You don't understand? What do you mean you don't understand?!" Allison's already hot temper was rising fast, but she let him place his hand on her lower back and steer her towards his office. "You knew that Macy and Tanner would be mad if they found out I was arrested, but you still brought my dress over knowing they'd want to know why you had it!" She continued once Steve had closed the door.

"I'm sorry." Steve said, sounding almost sincere. "I was planning to give you the dress, not Macy, but you were still sleeping."

"Oh bullshit!" Allison said, not buying his apology. "If you didn't want to cause any trouble you would have just let HPD contact me and let me pick it up myself." Steve sighed, knowing he was caught.

"Look, Ally, I was worried."

"Worried?! You have no right to be worried about me. You don't even know me anymore!"

"I know girls like you. Girls that get themselves mixed up with gang members. I see them down in the morgue all the time!" Steve's voice finally rose to Allison's level.

"For the last time, Steven. I wasn't 'mixed up' with a gang member! I picked him up in a bar. Even if he wasn't arrested, I had no intentions of ever seeing him again!"

"It's not always that easy!" Steve insisted. "And with Leolani Loko'ino's reputation, he may have killed you as soon as he was done."

"Oh now you're just being dramatic! And even if you were worried about me it wasn't your place to get Macy and Tanner involved!"

"I knew that they'd be upset and thought maybe that would help you understand how serious this is, Allison." Steve admitted. "I was trying to protect you!"

Allison took a deep breath to calm herself down. After all, murdering him with three cops less than twenty feet away was probably not a good plan.

"There was a time when that was what I wanted." She said a moment later. "But you made it quite clear that wasn't what you were looking for and I was forced to realize that I don't need that. And I don't need you."

"Come on, Ally. I ca-"

"Just stay out of my life, Steven." She muttered before turning away and storming out of his office.


	7. Chapter 7

The next few days were incredibly awkward in the condo Allison and her friends were sharing. Not one to back down, Allison had no intentions of apologizing first and after the first day of silence, it became apparent that Macy wasn't going to back down either. But Allison had made a decision and as Macy and Tanner began to pack their things, she knew she had to talk to them.

"Hey," She said quietly, walking into the living room where her friends were.

"Hi," Macy looked up, surprised that her friend was talking to her.

"I know things have been...strained around here lately." Allison continued after taking a moment to work up her courage. "But I just wanted to tell you guys that I'm not going home."

"What?" Tanner asked as Macy just stared, obviously mulling the words over in her head.

"I've decided to stay in Hawaii." Her voice was more confident this time.

"Why?" Macy finally spoke up, the hurt evident in her voice.

"Because I like it here. It's sunny and everyone's so friendly." Allison floundered, not really having a good reason. "I'm just ready for a change I guess. And there's really nothing for me at home."

"Nothing? What about your family?" Macy pointed out. "And us?"

"I can't live my life scared to move away from my family." Allison said, having thought about this before. "And I think that maybe we might benefit from a little time apart."

"So you're breaking up with us?" Macy smiled sadly.

"No! Of course not." Allison assured her. "You guys are just in a very different point in your lives than I am. I feel like it holds you guys back when you have to babysit me all the time. And if you're not here to babysit me then it'll prove to everyone that I **am** capable of taking care of myself." She cringed inwardly at how obvious it was that her little explanation had been rehearsed many times in her bedroom.

"So...do you have a place to stay?" Tanner asked after a few awkward moments.

"Not yet..." Allison admitted. "But I'm looking at a few places tonight and I have enough money saved up that I can afford to stay in a hotel until I can find somewhere."

"And you're sure this is what you want?" Macy asked, obviously concerned. Allison smiled.

"Yes, and I'm a big girl, Mace. I can do this." Macy nodded, still unsure. Allison quickly pulled her friend into a hug. "I'll be fine. I promise."

"Steve! Hey!" Tanner called over to his friend, finally moving from the spot against his car where he had been leaning for the last forty-five minutes. Steve turned at the sound of his name and smiled when he saw his old friend.

"Hey, Tanner. What brings you here?" He said, quickly walking to meet him.

"I have a request," Tanner informed the commander. "Are you done for the day? I figured we could grab a beer while I explain."

"Uh, sure." Stever said, intrigued. "I know a good place, I'll take my truck, you follow me." Tanner agreed and the two men parted ways.

"So, what's this request?" Steve asked, almost half an hour later once the boys were settled at a quiet table of a nearby bar. Tanner sighed.

"Look, under no circumstances are you allowed to tell Ally that we had this conversation, but," He paused, obviously unsure if he should continue. Steve waited quietly, eager to hear any news involving the girl that probably wanted him dead. "Ally's staying in Hawaii."

Steve froze as his friend blurted out those words. However, due to the many years of training involved in his profession, Steve managed to hide his surprise fairly well.

"So?" He shrugged. "What does that have to do with me?"

Tanner watched his friend closely as he sipped his beer. He had expected more of a reaction from Steve and decided now was as good a time as ever to really see where the Navy Seal stood on this issue.

"Well, I figured we should stay out of things, but was overruled, as usual, by Macy." Tanner explained. "She's worried about Ally. As you've discovered she's gotten a little wild lately and we don't want her to get in trouble or like, murdered or whatever. That's where you come in."

Steve stared blankly at his friend.

"You want me to babysit her?" He clarified.

"No," Tanner chuckled. "We want you to make sure she doesn't die."

"Isn't that what babysitters do?"

"Technically yes, but you wouldn't be doing it as a babysitter. You'd be doing it as a friend or whatever it is you guys are." Tanner took another sip from his beer. "While we're on the subject, what exactly is going on between you two?"

Again, Steve tensed up, but this time his reaction didn't escape Tanner.

"Nothing," Steve answered. "Well, I think she wants to kill me, but other than that. Nothing."

"She doesn't want to kill you, Steve." Tanner assured him. "According to Macy, she just pretends to so you won't see how she really feels."

"And how exactly does she really feel?" Steve sipped his beer, trying to appear aloof.

"I think you know the answer to that one, pal." The two men sat quietly as Tanner waited for Steve to comment. It soon became obvious that he wasn't going to so Tanner continued. "She really liked you and you broke her heart. Which is the part that I don't understand at all because I happen to have it on good authority that her feelings were not unrequited."

"It's complicated." Steve said, fully intending to end their discussion of this topic. "If I agree to keep an eye out for Ally, without her knowing about it, will you let it go?"

Tanner quickly agreed, not wanting Steve to change his mind. Reporting back to Macy with bad news was definitely not on his list of favourite things to do and he wasn't feeling up to dealing with her wrath that day. Satisfied with the results of their little meeting, the two men sat back and finished their beers, keeping the conversation light.


	8. Chapter 8

Saying goodbye to Macy and Tanner had been hard, but Allison was quickly adjusting to her new life in Hawaii. Finding a decent apartment was far easier than she had expected and now, a week later and a half later, she was settling in nicely. All she needed was a job and a few friends and she knew she'd be happy.

After spending almost a week cooped up inside, getting her apartment organized, Ally decided she needed to get out. It was a nice evening, the sun shining as it usually does in Hawaii, but there was a breeze as well making the temperature slightly more bearable. Due to these perfect weather conditions, she decided to go out for a run. It didn't take her long though to regret that decision.

It was obvious that the man Ally noticed following her was trying to be subtle, but he was a rather large man and pairing that with his bright yellow shirt, he was hard to miss. She picked up the pace slightly as her heart began to race. What if he was part of that gang she'd accidently involved herself with? Obviously she knew nothing about the gang's dealings and therefore had nothing to tell the authorities, but none of the members knew that. What if they thought she knew something and was consequently a liability? It didn't take a genius to figure out how most gangs tied up loose ends.

Allison's panic quickly subsided though when she saw how her stalker interacted with the innocent beach goers. He was friendly, even addressing some of them by name, and given the chance, he was more than happy to strike up a conversation. Now, Ally wasn't an expert on gangs or their members, but that seemed a little fishy to her so she was back at square one. Who was this man and why was he following her? Not one to cope well with curiosity, Allison decided to face her little problem head on. Literally. She quickly spun on her heel, now jogging straight towards her follower.

Once the man noticed her change in direction, his eyes widened before he turned as well, but Ally was determined not to let him get away and picked up her pace. By the time she'd caught up to him, his phone was pressed to his ear.

"She's onto me, boss." She heard the man say. "I think its game over."

"Hey!" Allison shouted, grabbing the attention of many other people. The man quickly hung up his phone and turned, now face to face with Ally. "Who are you?" She asked.

"Uh..." The man frantically searched for a way out, but eventually gave up. "The name's Kamekona." He said, holding out a hand for her to shake. Allison looked up at him like he was insane.

"Why are you following me?" She pressed, ignoring his hand.

"I'm not at liberty to say." He replied, only angering the woman in front of him.

"Give me your phone," She practically growled. "Or I'll call the police and file a report about you stalking me!" Kamekona sighed, but handed over the phone. Allison quickly flipped it open and, after seeing the name at the top of his most recent calls, she could barely contain her anger. _Steve_.

She wasted no time hitting redial, despite the protests of the man in front of her.

"Kamekona, this is not the best time. I told you, deal with this on your own." Steve answered on the first ring.

"This is not Kamekona, McGarrett." Allison hissed at him. "It's Allison, the girl you are currently paying someone to stalk!"

Steve sighed.

"I'm not paying him, he's doing me a favour."

"Yeah? Well why don't you do me a fucking 'favour' and leave me alone!" Her voice was escalating quickly, causing Kamekona to wince.

"I really don't have time to explain right now, Allison. Why don't you come over to my place for dinner tomorrow and I'll fill you in." He suggested, leaving Ally flabbergasted.

"Dinner?! You think you can put a tail on me and then get a date out of it? Are you cra-" Before Allison could finish, Steve cut her off.

"As I said, not the best time right now." He paused and Allison heard gunshots in the background. "If you want an explanation, come over tomorrow at seven o'clock." With that, he hung up, leaving Allison so mad she could hardly see straight.

"I hope he gets shot," She mumbled before giving Kamekona his phone back and storming off down the beach.

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this," Allison muttered as she stood in front of Steve McGarrett's front door. She kept her outfit simple, not wanting Steve to think she was trying to impress him, but at the same time she made sure she looked damn good just so he'd know what he was missing. She wore a plain, light blue tank top and a white skirt with lace around the trim that fell just above her knees. The tank top was just tight enough to show off her breasts without being obvious and the skirt was long enough to be respectable, but short enough to grab a little interest. The wedges on her feet, that perfectly matched her shirt and were about five inches tall, she'd thrown in for herself. Steve had a good few inches on Ally and she was hoping if she evened things out a little, he wouldn't be able to feel quite as superior to her.

After taking another moment to psyche herself up, Allison found the courage to knock. Hardly a minute later, Steve opened the door. She took a moment to look him over, as he did the same to her. He was barefoot and wearing a nice pair of jeans with a pale blue button down shirt, the top few buttons left undone exposing just a touch of his chest hair. As much as Allison hated herself for admitting it, he looked good. Really good.

"Hey," He smiled. "You look beautiful."

Allison stepped inside, frowning at his compliment.

"This isn't a date, McGarrett. It's a..." She trailed off, searching for the right term. "A businesss meeting. Save the flattery for someone who cares."

Steve smiled and held his hands up in defeat.

"Whoa, sorry. I'm just trying to be nice."

"Well I don't want nice. I don't even want to be here." Allison reminded him. "I just want to know why the hell you were having some guy follow me."

"I know you do," Steve said, walking past her and towards the kitchen. "And we'll get there, but I made us dinner and right now it's getting cold."

Allison took a deep breath to keep herself from ripping Steve's head off and went after him. She watched as he tucked a bottle of wine under his arm before grabbing two glasses and two plates of spaghetti off the counter. He glanced back to make sure she had followed him before heading out the open back door. She hurried to keep up as he marched across the backyard to the little stretch of beach at the bottom of it. There he had set up a blanket, just waiting for a picnic.

Ally froze, still standing on the grass, and crossed her arms. Steve looked at her before ignoring her obvious disapproval and getting comfortable on the blanket.

"Getting a little romantic there, Steven." She said. "Need I remind you that this is not a date?"

"No, no, I think you've made that perfectly clear." He poured wine into each of the glasses. "But you want information out of me and if you want me to spill my secrets, you have to indulge me a little first."

"Indulge you? Indulge you?!" Allison practically screeched at him. "I indulged you just by coming here! I agreed to dinner, Steven. Not a romantic picnic on the beach accompanied by wine which I'm sure you are only using so you can get me drunk and trick me into having sex with you again just so you can abandon me in the morning!"

Steve stayed completely calm, in fact he even looked slightly amused, as he watched Allison explode at him. This only made her even angrier, but he cut her off just as she was about to continue.

"You can leave if you want to," He informed her. "Or you can play nice and enjoy the lovely meal I prepared for you and stop pretending I have ulterior motives."

Allison huffed and turned to go back inside. However, the little voice in the back of her head, kept her from leaving. Since her minor panic attack yesterday when she thought Kamekona might actually be a gang member sent to murder her, she couldn't get the thought out of her head. She hadn't even thought twice about Leo since she'd been arrested, but now she realized what a dangerous situation she had potentially put herself in. She needed to make sure she wasn't in any danger and for that reason, she turned back around.

"I'm not pretending you have ulterior motives," She mumbled as she sat down. "I know you do."

Steve smiled, but didn't comment as he passed her a glass of wine and one of the two plates of spaghetti.


	9. Chapter 9

"Thank you," Steve said, breaking the silence that had surrounded them as they ate. "For coming to my dad's funeral, I mean."

Allison could feel the sincerity in his words.

"Don't worry about it," She assured him. "I really am sorry about that by the way. I know how much he meant to you and he was wonderful guy."

"Yeah, he was." Steve nodded. Allison offered a sympathetic smile and the silence returned.

Once Steve was done eating, he placed his plate in the sand and laid back on the blanket, resting his head on his hands. Allison looked at his serene expression and could feel her frustrations rise once again. She'd been at his house for almost an hour now and he still showed no signs of giving up any information. Deciding, she'd had enough, she too put her plate in the sand.

"Okay, Steve. Enough of the bullshit. I want some answers." She demanded. Steve tilted his head to the side and opened his eyes.

"What do you want to know?"

"You know what I want to know!" This man really knew how to frustrate her. "Why did you get Kamekona to follow me?"

Steve sighed and sat up again.

"I promised I wouldn't tell you this, but since you've asked me so nicely..." He smirked, watching the anger flash in Allison's eyes as he stalled. "I had Kamekona follow you because I was asked to keep an eye on you by Macy and Tanner and I'm a busy guy so I didn't have the time to follow you around personally."

Allison stared blankly at the man beside her. Her earlier worries about gang members hunting her down to tie up loose ends seemed ridiculous now, but she couldn't help, but feel slightly mislead by Steve's behaviour.

"...That's it?" She asked, angrily. He simply nodded, still smirking. "You could have just told me that on the phone yesterday, Steven! I can't believe you!"

"I was being shot at yesterday," He reminded her, but his explanation did nothing to calm her.

"It would've taken you just as long as asking me over for dinner!" Allison argued. "I thought it was something important! I was worried for my safety!"

Steve raised an eyebrow.

"Why? What did you think was going on?"

"I thought..." Allison trailed off, feeling her cheeks go pink, embarrassed by her imagination. Not wanting to waste anymore time, she quickly tossed back her wine before standing up. "You know what? I don't owe you an explanation. I'm leaving."

Just as she turned to make her dramatic exit, Steve grabbed her hand.

"Ally, if you didn't want to come tonight, you could've gotten your answer a million different ways." He said, standing up next to her. "But instead, you came and sat through dinner with me, even managing to be civil at points. I don't think you did that just to get one little answer from me."

As he spoke, Steve moved closer to Ally, moving his hand from hers to around her waist. Allison felt her breath catch in her throat and despite how badly she wanted to tear herself away, she couldn't even manage to break eye contact.

"And why exactly do you think I stayed?" She asked quietly, unable to muster up a snappy comeback.

"Because you still have feelings for me."

With that, Steve pressed his lips against hers, fighting off any protests she could have offered.

At first, Allison was so shocked all she could do was gasp, but as Steve's hands wandered to the small of her back, she began to kiss him back. He smiled against her lips and pulled her close, feeling her arms snake up behind his neck. It wasn't until Steve's hand slid under her shirt that Ally snapped out of it. She quickly opened her eyes and moved her hands to his chest, firmly pushing him away. He let her go and she slowly backed away from him.

"No. No, no, no." She mumbled, tears pricking her eyes. "I can't do this again. I can't let you do this to me again!"

Steve groaned and ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Ally, I'm sorry."

"Not until you tell me why." She choked back tears, cursing herself for showing emotion."I-I just need to know why."

The silence between them as awkward as she waited for her answer. Steve was obviously torn, but Allison wasn't going to back down and as her eyes bore into him, he finally spoke.

"I can't tell you." He winced, seeing the pain flash through her eyes.

"What? You were all prepared to tell me the other day in your office! Or were just planning on lying to me again and you actually don't have a reason?" She blinked, desperately trying to keep the tears at bay. "Did you just take advantage of me and leave for shits and giggles?"

"No, no, of course not." He took a step towards her, but she stepped back. "I have a reason. I just can't tell you."

"That's the stupidest excuse I've ever heard." Allison informed him. "But you know what? It doesn't even matter. I'm leaving."

She turned on her heel and began walking quickly back to the house. She heard Steve groaned and knew he was following her. By the time she was half way across the yard, he caught up.

"I was protecting you." He said, grabbing her hand again to prevent her from going any further. She spun around to face him, unable to hide the tear tracks that now marked her cheeks.

"From what?" She snapped, jerking her hand away from his. "And this better not be some bullshit excuse about how 'troubled and dangerous' you are."

"It's not," He promised. Allison waited for him to continue, not saying a word. "Before I was deployed the last time before...that night, when we were hanging out all the time, getting to know each other, I started getting threats."

"Threats about what?" Allison asked, suspiciously.

"You." He said simply. "Whoever sent them didn't want me to have you and made it clear just how far they'd go to make sure it didn't happen. They were going to hurt you, Ally. I couldn't let that happen."

Allison stared at him for a moment, taking in this new information. Who would possibly make threats against her? Sure there were people she didn't get along with, but not enough for them to want to hurt her. And even if they did, why would they involve Steve? As all these thoughts bounced around in her head, another realization dawned on her.

"But you still used me."

Steve raised an eyebrow at her accusation.

"What're you talking about?"

Allison sighed, once again fighting back tears.

"You still used me." She repeated. "You said you got the threats before your deployment which means you knew then that we were never going to be together, but when you got home you led me to believe that everything was still fine between us just so you could have sex with me."

"I didn't..." Steve trailed off, realizing that he really had no way to defend his actions. He watched as fresh tears welled up in her eyes before she wordlessly turned around and continued to storm away . "Ally, I loved you!"

Allison froze at Steve's confession, but quickly regained composure. She looked back over her shoulder at him, not bothering to hide her tears any longer.

"That just makes it worse."

With that, she looked away once more and left Steve standing alone on the grass.


	10. Chapter 10

The way that Allison handled her most recent heart break surprised her. Usually, after a confrontation like that, she would turn to self-destructive habits like drinking and casual sex, but this time that wasn't the case. She felt drained and confused and spent an entire week alone in her apartment, only leaving her bed to use the bathroom or find food. Which was kind of self-destructive in its own little way.

Steve had given her a lot of information to process and his parting words had been echoing through her mind all week. She was confused, angry, still hurt and, if she was being completely honest, a little scared. After wracking her brain, trying to think of anyone she knew who would have any reason at all the threaten her, she was still drawing a blank. She had so many unanswered questions, but she just couldn't bring herself to reach out to the only man she knew would be able to help. So after almost dialing Steve's number at least five times, she settled for the next best thing.

"Hello?" He answered on the first ring.

"Tanner, hey. It's Ally." She smiled, happy to hear a familiar voice.

"Hey! What's up?"

"Well..." Allison hesitated, knowing anything she asked about Steve would raise plenty of questions. "I'm just wondering what Steve told you after we slept together. You know, about why he never called me."

"Nothing," Tanner replied simply.

"Really? Come on, you're his best friend..." She said, her tone conveying her obvious suspicions.

"I know that, but really. He just said he had his reasons and that he was dealing with it."

Allison sighed. That definitely sounded like something Steve would say.

"And that didn't seem weird to you?" She asked, hoping to squeeze a little more information out of him.

"Sure it did," Tanner admitted. "But a lot of the stuff Steve gets involved with seems weird to me. If I questioned everything, our whole friendship would just be me interrogating him. Anyway, why the sudden interest?"

"I may or may not have had dinner with a certain navy seal the other night," Allison admitted reluctantly. "And he may or may not have told me that the reason he never called me was because someone was threatening to hurt me if he continued to see me."

There was silence on the other end and Allison waited patiently for the reaction.

"So you have some kind of crazy stalker?"

That's when all hell broke loose. Allison could hear Macy shriek in the background and there was commotion as she snatched the phone.

"Allison, explain. Right now." Macy demanded.

"It's nothing to get excited about, Mace." Ally said, smiling at her friend's protective nature. "I found out that Steve was having someone follow me – thanks for that, by the way – and I wanted to know why. He manipulated me into coming over for dinner, he shoved his tongue down my throat and when I pushed him away, demanding an explanation for why he never called me, he said that he did it to protect me because someone was sending him threats."

"He kissed you?!" Macy shrieked again, causing Allison to roll her eyes.

"Yes, he did, but make no mistake. I still don't like the guy." She clarified.

"I know, I know. I wouldn't expect you to get over it that easily. But what about this stalker? What did he say?"

"Nothing," Allison sighed. "I don't think he knows who it was."

"I know you don't want to hear this, but you need to call him. Right now. And find out everything he knows." Macy instructed, her tone leaving no room for arguments. However, diligently following directions wasn't Allison's strong point.

"What? Are you crazy, Macy?" She asked. "He knew he wasn't going to pursue our relationship before we had sex, but conveniently didn't tell me that just to get into my pants."

"Yeah, yeah. And that was wrong." Macy agreed. "But what if your life's in danger, Al? You need to get some answers. Call him. Or I'll do it for you."

Allison knew her friend was right. Her worry and confusion would only go away if she got some answers. So after agreeing with her friend and saying a quick goodbye, Allison hung up and opened a text message to Steve.

When Allison arrived at the cafe that she had demanded Steve meet her at, he was already sitting at a table. Two drinks sat in front of him, one of which just happened to be Allison's favourite. She rolled her eyes at his attempt to win her over and marched over, sitting down quickly.

"We have to make this quick," She informed him. "I have to go job hunting this afternoon."

Steve nodded and pushed one of the drinks towards her.

"It's your favourite."

"I can see that, thanks." She mumbled, sipping the drink. "So, down to business. Who was sending the threats about me?"

"I don't know," Steve admitted. "I was going to track him down, even had a few army buddies try and track where they were sent from, but then I got deployed again and things got pushed aside."

"Wait," Allison stared at him in disbelief. "So out there somewhere is someone who sent you threats about me, possibly endangering my life, and you got busy and 'pushed it aside'?!"

Steve sighed, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table.

"The threats stopped, Ally." He waited for her to correct him about her name, but was pleased when she didn't. "Even if I had all the time in the world, there was no way to track the guy."

"But what if he's still out there?"

"It's possible," Steve shrugged. "But he obviously wasn't going to cause you any trouble without me around and whoever it is, is probably still back in California and has no idea that you're here now."

"But if he's stalking me, he probably would know that I'm here now." She pointed out. "Isn't that like 'stalker 101'? Knowing where your victim is?"

Steve cracked a smile, noting how adorable Allison looked as she chewed nervously on her straw.

"Possibly. Just keep your eyes open for anyone who looks suspicious, and let me know if you get any suspicious gifts or calls."

"But...you think I'm safe?" She asked, looking at him in a way that reminded him of a child. He smiled again and cautiously placed his hand over hers.

"Ally, I promise. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."

His aim was to reassure her, but instead she simply rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away.

"Really, Steven? Because usually when people don't want to hurt other people, they don't lead them on, sleep with them and then never call them again."

Steve groaned, resting his head on the back of the chair for a moment. His eyes were closed and it was obvious he was trying to hide his frustrations.

"Allison, I'm sorry." He said once again.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too." She replied without missing a beat. "I'm sorry you're such an asshole."

Steve took a breath and Allison was well aware she was pushing his buttons. A moment later, he leaned forward to once again rest on the table.

"I meant what I said the other night, Ally." He said, ignoring her comment. "I loved you. And I still have feelings for you and I know you still have feelings for me."

"Oh yeah, lots of feelings," Allison nodded. "Anger, sadness, distrust, a hefty dose of dislike-"

"Affection?" Steve threw in, a look of hope briefly passing across his face.

Allison looked down, suddenly focusing more on stirring her drink than on Steve.

"You kind of broke my heart, Steven." Allison said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. "I'm not the kind of girl who just forgets about that."

Just as Steve was about to respond, his phone rang. He checked the caller I.D and reluctantly answered. Allison could only hear one side of the conversation, but from what Steve was saying they had been called in for a case and 'Danno' was not happy about it due to someone named 'Grace'. Once the conversation was over, Steve sighed and stood up.

"You said you needed a job?" Aliison nodded. "Well I have one for you."

Before Allison could accept or refuse his offer, Steve began walking away. She took a minute to decide whether it would be best to just walk out the other exit and never talk to him again, but chose otherwise and followed him out to his truck.


	11. Chapter 11

The ride to the Five-0 headquarters was silent and awkward. So much so that Allison didn't even bother asking what on earth she was going to be doing. Her curiosity peaked though when they arrived and saw Steve's partner and a young girl waiting for them. Steve quickly parked the car and pulled off his seatbelt, but as he went to get out of the car, Allison finally spoke up.

"Steve," She started, grabbing his attention. "I think things will just be easier if we leave the past in the past, okay? Whatever was between us obviously just wasn't meant to be."

Her quiet, almost shy tone surprised Steve. Lately all he'd seen was the snarky wall that she'd built around herself. As much as it pained him to admit it, she seemed to mean what she said. So he reluctantly nodded, letting her have her way...for now.

"Hey there, Gracie!" Allison heard Steve say to the little girl as she got out of the car.

"Hi, Uncle Steve." Grace replied, a little shyly.

"Can I introduce you to a friend of mine? I think you two could have a lot of fun together today."

"_Ah,_" Allison thought to herself. "_That's why I'm here..._"

Grace nodded her head as Allison walked over and stood beside Steve.

"Grace, I'd like you to meet Allison. Allison, this is Grace, Danny's daughter." Steve introduced them.

"Wait, wait, wait," Danny said, staring at Allison. "Isn't this the girl you had in custody a few weeks ago? You want me to let my daughter be babysat by a criminal?!"

Steve rolled his eyes, only adding to Danny's anger.

"No, Danno. I would not put Grace in the hands of a criminal. What you saw that week was a misunderstanding." Steve explained. "I've known Ally forever, she's great with kids."

Danny stared at the two of them, obviously trying to figure out if they should be trusted.

"Well it's not like I have much choice," He gave in, reaching for his wallet. "How much do you want for this?"

"Oh, no. It's fine." Allison said. "Anyone who puts up with Steve every day deserves a medal, this is the least I can do."

Danny laughed, looking at Steve.

"You know what? I think I like this one after all."

"Of course you do," Steve rolled his eyes.

Allison smiled and turned to Grace.

"Well Grace, how about me and you go get some shave ice?" She suggested, causing the little girl to grin.

"Okay!"

They were about to leave when Danny stopped them.

"Her mom should be home around four-thirty. She can tell you the address."

"Oh," Allison said, suddenly remembering her vehicle situation. "I don't have a car..."

"Take my truck," Steve offered without hesitation.

"Okay," Allison took the keys from his outstretched hand, eyeing him suspiciously. "Thanks..."

The girls spent the afternoon on the beach, relaxing, chatting and eating shave ice and by the time Allison took Grace home, her mom was already there.

"Hi, you must be Allison," The woman said as she came out to meet them. "I'm Rachel."

"Nice to meet you." Allison smiled.

"Mom, guess what!" Grace said, excitedly.

"What?" Rachel asked her daughter.

"We had shave ice today! And Allison got me a large one!"

"Grace!" Allison laughed. "You promised not to tell!"

"That would explain all this energy," Rachel mused. "Why don't you run inside and put your things away?"

Grace nodded and quickly ran inside.

"I'm sorry about that..." Allison apologized.

"Oh, don't worry." Rachel smiled. "Thank you for looking after her today."

"It was my pleasure. I'm kinda new around here, so it was nice to have someone to talk to. Even if she is only eight years old." Allison joked.

"Don't you have Steve?" Rachel asked, confused. "Danny said you were friends."

"Steve and I have a complicated relationship..." Allison confessed.

Rachel was quiet for a moment.

"Do you want to come in?" She offered. "I don't know too many people around here either and I know more than I'd like about complicated relationships."

Ally smiled and nodded, following the other woman inside.

"Well that certainly is complicated," Rachel agreed after Allison had finished explaining her and Steve's relationship.

Allison nodded, sipping the iced tea Rachel had poured for her.

"Yeah, but when we talked today, I told him that we should just forget about it, that it obviously wouldn't work and I think that's probably for the best."

"Ah," Rachel said with a knowing smile. "But is it what you want?"

The simple question had Allison at a loss of words. Yes, had been the obvious answer and the one she was tempted to force from her lips, but she couldn't because part of her knew it wasn't true. The smile on Rachel's face quickly slid into a smirk as Allison took her time answer.

"I'm going to take your silence as a 'no'," Rachel decided.

"It's not 'no'," Allison said, indignantly, a small smile tracing her lips. "But it's not 'yes' either! It's both. I can't just forget everything and be with him after what he did, but I really wish that things could go back to how they were before."

"Well Steven did what he did because he believed he was protecting you, and yes, he went about it in completely the wrong way, but when do men ever do things the right way?" Rachel pointed out. "From what I hear, he's not a bad man. He drives Daniel up the wall constantly, but I know he still respects him and despite all our troubles, I know Danny's a good judge of character. If you still have feelings for him, it might not be too harmful to pursue them."

Allison took a moment to let Rachel's words sink in, but still shook her head.

"I think I just need to let this one go."

Rachel nodded.

"That may be a good choice," She agreed. "But from what I've heard, Steve doesn't seem like the type to give up easily."

"That is very true," Allison smiled.

She stayed, chatting with Rachel for another half an hour before leaving when Grace began to whine about being hungry.

"This was nice," Rachel said, walking her to the door. "We'll have to do it again soon."

"Definitely," Allison agreed. "And thanks for the advice, I appreciate it."

"Anytime," The British woman smiled before saying goodbye.


	12. Chapter 12

Allison was once again left with plenty to think about, but this time she chose to busy herself rather than sit around moping. She got herself a job at a small cafe near her apartment, it was nothing great, but it was a start.

It had been almost five days since she had seen Steve. She dropped his truck off at his home, sliding the keys through the mail slot. Part of her had wanted to take them to Five-0 headquarters, but if she was going to cut him out, she needed to start right away or, as Rachel pointed out, he'd find a way to weasel back into her life. However, it didn't seem to matter how many times Allison told herself that this was for the best and absolutely what she wanted, she couldn't help, but glance out the window every time she heard sirens, just in case it was Steve.

After a particularly long, busy day at work, Allison arrived home to find a rather extravagant arrangement of flowers sitting outside her apartment door. Her mind immediately went to her creepy stalker. Had he found her? Was he watching her right now? She fought back the panic and carefully reached for the card

"_Ally, I just wanted to say thank you for helping with Grace. I really appreciate it. Love, Steve."_

Allison was torn between relief and annoyance. Obviously, she was relieved that this wasn't a present from some crazy stalker, but she was annoyed that Steve wasn't respecting her wishes. And 'love'? What was that about? She sighed and dragged the display inside, leaving it by the door until she could find somewhere better to put it.

As she changed and started making dinner, she fought an internal battle over what to do. Part of her said to dump the flowers, throw them out and stop thinking about him, but the other part wanted to accept the gift, even thank him for it. By the time she'd made and finished eating dinner, the kinder side of her had won. Steve obviously spent a decent amount of money on her gift and it would be wrong to ignore it.

"McGarrett," Steve answered on the first ring.

"Steve, hi." She smiled. "So remember how you told me to call if I get any suspicious gifts? Well I got some flowers today from this crazy guy that I know and I'm not sure what his motives are."

"Do you like them?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, I do." She admitted, looking over at the massive bouquet. "Thank you."

She heard Steve gasp dramatically.

"I knew today had been a long day, but am I really delirious right now?" He said, obviously smiling. "Or did Allison Jace actually just say thank you?"

Allison let a small giggle slip out.

"I say thank you all the time, Steve!" She protested. "I'm a very polite person."

"Oh definitely. I mean, when you're not being hostile."

"Hostile? Me? Never." She insisted.

She heard Steve laugh and suddenly realized how flirty they were being. The conversation between them had just flowed so naturally, she hadn't even thought about it. However, now that she had, she knew she needed to stop.

"Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you. I'll let you get back to whatever cop stuff it is that you do," She said, hoping to wrap up the conversation.

"Have dinner with me." Steve blurted out, apparently having other ideas.

"I knew there were motives," She sighed a moment later, after letting the surprise of his outburst sink in. "Look, Steve, as I said before, I don't-"

"Think this is a good idea," Steve finished her sentence. "I know, but I do, Allison. And it's just dinner. If you decide after that that you really do dislike me. I'll leave you alone forever, I promise."

"You promise?" She asked, pondering his offer.

"I swear on my badge."

"Okay." She reluctantly agreed. "Tomorrow night. Pick me up at seven."

Unlike the last time, Allison made sure she was dressed to impress. Assuming that if Steve was trying to win her over, he would take her someone nice, she dressed accordingly. She wore a strapless dress that fell just above her knees. The top was red, covered by black lace, separated from the bottom by a red bow. The bottom part was simply black. Her five inch heels matched the red part of the dress perfectly, tying the outfit together. After lightly curling her hair and applying just a touch of make-up, Allison looked perfect.

At exactly seven o'clock, Steve knocked on the door. Allison grabbed her purse before answering. She knew right away she'd made the right choice by dressing formal. Steve had changed his usual cargo pants for nice, black dress pants that fit him perfectly. He wore a crisp white dress shirt as well and Allison couldn't help, but notice how the shirt fit a little snuggly over his muscular arms.

"Wow, Ally." Steve said, looking her up and down. "You look amazing."

She could feel her cheeks slowly start to burn and silently cursed herself.

"Thanks. You do too."

Steve held out his arm for her and, deciding to go into this evening with an open mind, she humoured him by taking it. However, the small smirk that appeared on his face when she did so did not go unnoticed.

"So where are we going?" She asked when they got to his truck.

"That's a surprise," He said, opening the door for her. She smiled at him, but rolled her eyes.

"Of course it is."

The drive to the restaurant was filled with small talk. It was nothing too overwhelming, but Allison found that the conversation, once again, felt very natural. Nothing seemed forced and the silences were comfortable, not awkward like she had expected.

As Steve found a parking garage near the restaurant, Allison tried to guess where he was taking her. However, his answer was no every time.

"Would you even tell me if I was right?" She asked, having run out of places.

"No," Steve grinned. "But just for the record, you haven't mentioned it yet."

"Well I haven't been in this part of town much so I'm all out of ideas," She admitted. "But you have me very curious, so let's go, Sailor!"

As soon as the old nickname left her mouth she felt her cheeks go pink.

"Steve. I, uh, meant Steve." She quickly corrected, her embarrassment only made worse by the small smile on his lips.

"No, don't worry about it." He assured her. She waited for some kind of teasing comment, but he made none. He simply got out of the car and ran around to her side to open her door for her as well.

"Thanks," She mumbled, still embarrassed.

Her plan for the evening was to remain aloof, to really drive him crazy with her indifference, but that had all just flown out the window. Now that he knew she was letting her guard down it was more important than ever for her to keep herself under control. She wasn't entirely convinced that Steven deserved her forgiveness yet and she didn't want him getting the wrong idea.

Steve led her down the street towards the restaurant and when he stopped her jaw dropped. They were standing outside the Kaua'I Grill, a five star restaurant.

"Steven John McGarrett, no." She said firmly. "This is too expensive. I can't afford it at all!"

"It's my treat!" He grinned.

"That just makes it worse!" Allison protested. "Come on. Just take me to McDonalds. I hear they have a great dollar menu."

Steve laughed, shaking his head.

"You gave me one more shot." He reminded her. "I'm not taking you to McDonalds. I owe you more than that."

Allison sighed, knowing he wasn't going to give up.

"Fine, but you really shouldn't have."

Steve simply smiled and led her inside. They were seated immediately and Steve quickly ordered them a bottle of her favourite wine.

"God, the governor must really love you if you can afford to eat here." Allison muttered, looking over the menu.

"It's not like I come here every day," Steve chuckled. "But I can afford to come when I have a beautiful date."

Allison rolled her eyes playfully and quickly chose something to order, making sure it was on the cheaper end of the menu.

"So what exactly is it that you do?" She asked, while they waited for their food.

"I run a task force for the governor."

"And how did a Navy Seal land that job?" She sipped her wine as Steve sighed.

"The man who murdered my father is very dangerous and connected with some people who are even worse. When I came back for my father's funeral, the governor knew that I intended to go after them and since it was in her best interest to get them off the island as well, she offered me full immunity and means to do so." He explained. "So I took the job, chose my team and we're doing our best to finish the job."

"So the man who killed your father is still out there?" Allison knew this wasn't the best date conversation, but she couldn't help her curiosity.

"The man who physically shot him, no. I took care of him." Steve explained. "But we're still tracking down the people that are ultimately responsible."

Allison's eyes widened.

"You 'took care of him'? Like, you killed him?"

Steve chuckled again at the look she was giving him.

"Yes, Allison. I do that more than I'd like, but it's my job." He reminded her.

"I know, I know. And this guy totally deserved it."

"They usually do," Steve sipped his wine. "So what made you choose to stay in Hawaii?" He asked, changing the subject before she could ask any more questions.

"I just...needed to get my life together," Allison answered with a shrug. "I'm almost twenty-five and still working minimum wage jobs. I figure it's time I find out what I want to do with my life and thought if I change things up, I might find some inspiration."

"So it had nothing to do with Macy and Tanner being a little...overbearing?" He asked, suspiciously.

"That too," She admitted. "But not so much because I'm sick of them getting involved with my life, more so because they need to move on with theirs. I know feeling like they have to look after me all the time interferes with their relationship and I don't want to end up becoming more of a burden than a friend."

"How very noble of you," Steve teased. Allison laughed and lightly kicked him under the table.

The rest of the meal was spent in pretty much the same manner. They talked endlessly, catching up in almost every aspect of each other's lives, but kept the mood light with the little jokes and jabs at each other. Despite how much Allison hated to admit it, she had a really good time.

Steve paid for the meal without letting her see the bill and once again held out his arm for her to take. After wearing her heels all night, Allison was pleased for the support and took his arm gratefully. They walked towards Steve's truck until he stopped in front of the window of a closed store. He turned so they were both facing it and smiled at their reflection.

"We really do make a good looking couple," He mused.

Allison smiled, but quickly wiped it away, looking up at him with a serious expression.

"We're not a couple, Steve."

"No, no. I know that," He smirked, looking back at her. "Not yet."

"I think you might just be a little too confident, mister." She informed him. "I haven't made any decisions, I might decide I never want to see you again."

They both knew that option was looking less likely as the night went on and Steve couldn't help, but laugh as she said it.

"I know you're strong willed and independent, but after this fabulous, romantic evening I'm pretty sure even Angelina Jolie would be begging for a second date."

"I don't know, you seem a little cocky to me." Allison teased.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, in fact, I think someone just talked their way out of getting laid tonight." Allison looked up at him once more before turning to walk away. He caught her hand and pulled her close to him.

"Wait, I was getting laid tonight?"

Allison giggled. Steve's charms were slowly winning her over and the wine she'd had at dinner was working in his favour to quiet the side of her that protested every time she let him close.

"Not with that attitude," She pushed herself away from him again, but he held onto her hand and followed.

The drive back to Allison's apartment was fairly quiet and once they arrived, Steve leapt out and raced around to open her door.

"Thanks," She smiled.

He simply smiled back and took her hand again, walking her to the door. When they got to her apartment door, she pulled out her keys and looked down at them, fiddling nervously. After a moment of painful internal debate, she looked back at Steve.

"Do you wanna come in?" She asked. A smile broke onto his face as he nodded.

"Yeah, I'd like that."


	13. Chapter 13

"Do you want anything to drink?" Allison shouted from the kitchen.

"A beer would be great, thanks." Steve called back as he looked at the photos she had in her living room.

Allison appeared a moment later, a beer in each hand. She'd kicked off her heels somewhere near the door and Steve smiled as she treaded carefully on her sore feet.

"Feet hurt?" He asked as they sat on her couch.

"Yeah," She nodded. "It's usually not this bad, but those heels are just a tiny bit too small."

"Then why do you wear them?"

"Becuase they're gorgeous," She replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Steve shook his head and placed his beer on the table.

"Give me your feet," He instructed. However, instead of turning and resting her feet on his lap as he had asked, Allison just stared at him. "Trust me." He said, reaching over and slowly sliding his hand down from her knee to her foot.

Allison cautiously allowed him to pull her foot into his lap, bringing the other one up as well to avoid any indecencies due to her dress. He looked up at her and smiled as he slowly began to massage her foot.

"A foot massage?" Allison asked, smiling back at him.

He continued, watching as she closed her eyes, enjoying the relief. They stayed like that, Steve rubbing Allison's feet while she relaxed, for almost fifteen minutes before she finally opened her eyes and leaned forward.

"I had a really nice time tonight, Steve." She said.

Her voice was barely above a whisper, almost as if she didn't want him to hear. He did though and slowly stopped massaging her feet. He looked into her eyes and saw the nervous indecision that she was trying to hide. He slid closer, moving his hand from her foot to her knee.

"Me too," He agreed.

Allison was suddenly aware of how close he had gotten, realizing that their faces were now only inches apart. She subconsciously licked her dry lips, drawing Steve's attention towards them. He stared at her lips and Allison felt her heart rate speed up, knowing what was about to happen. His eyes flicked back up to meet hers as his hand dared to slip just under the hem of her dress.

"I'm going to kiss you know, okay?"

Allison felt her heart skip a beat at the phrase he had used the last time they were together and once again found that all she could do was nod. The next thing she knew Steve's lips were against hers, kissing hungrily. She kissed back with equal franticness as he carefully moved her back until she was lying down underneath him. She felt his hand creep slowly up her thigh as she tangled hers in his hair and by the time Steve's hand had made it to its target, they both knew what was going to happen. However, before letting him continue, Allison pulled away.

"I swear to God, Steven," She said breathlessly. "If you're not there when I wake up, I will personally hunt you down and castrate you."

Steve chuckled.

"I'll be there." He promised before connecting their lips and finishing what he had started.

The next morning Steve woke up to his phone ringing. He felt Allison stir and heard her groan in her sleep as she curled against his chest. He smiled and wished he could just ignore the call, but knowing it could be important, he reached over the girl beside him and grabbed his phone off the nightstand.

"McGarrett," He said quietly, hoping not to disturb Ally.

"Steve?" Danny replied, sounding confused. "Why are you whispering?"

"Uh, no reason. I'm just...you woke me up." Steve cursed himself for sounding so unbelievable.

"Okay..." His partner still sounded suspicious, but let it slide. "Well we have a body and a new case to solve so you better have one of those two minute 'Navy showers' and meet us down at HQ asap."

"Yeah, okay. Goodbye Danno," Steve muttered before hanging up the phone.

He tossed his phone back on the nightstand and looked down at the girl in his arms. She looked so peaceful as she dozed, but Steve knew what kind of trouble he'd be in if he left without saying goodbye again so he kissed the top of her head before nudging her gently.

"Ally, wake up." He whispered in her ear.

She blinked slowly and Steve saw a smile appear on her lips.

"Good morning, Sailor." She mumbled before kissing his chest.

"Good morning," He replied, suddenly able to think of ten thousand things he'd rather do than climb out of bed. "I'm really sorry, Ally, but I have to go to work."

"Really?" She asked, pulling away slightly.

"Yeah," Steve nodded. "Danny just called, he wants me there 'asap'."

He took advantage of the distance she had created and slid out of bed to begin the search for his clothes. Allison rolled over and sat up, silently watching him dress. Once he was ready, he grabbed his phone and keys from the nightstand before giving Allison one last kiss. However, she stopped him as soon as he got to her bedroom door.

"Hey Steve," She called out, grabbing his attention. Her voice was quiet and he could tell by the slight quiver that something was wrong. "You're not running away again, are you?"

The look she gave him just about broke his heart and he quickly walked the few steps back to her bed. Allison looked down, feeling silly for being so insecure, but Steve gently lifted her chin until their eyes met.

"I made a mistake last time, Allison and I've paid for it ever since." His tone was loving and the look in his eyes conveyed the same emotion. "I'm never going to make that mistake again."

"Okay," She said quietly.

Steve quickly placed another kiss on her lips before looking into her eyes once more.

"I love you, Allison."

At one time, Allison probably could have said the same words back to him, but after everything that had happened, she wasn't so sure. However, the smile that slid onto her face as he spoke assured him that everything between them was okay.

"Okay, Steve. Now get out of here and go catch some bad guys." She ordered and giggled as he saluted her quickly before running out the door.

Steve groaned when he saw the time once he got into his truck. He was hoping he'd have time to stop home and change before going to work, but after reassuring Allison, he didn't have time. He had a spare shirt at work, but wasn't looking forward to the comments he knew his partner would make.

"Well would you look at that," Danny said as soon as Steve walked into Five-0's office. "After all the teasing about how I dress for work, you've finally come to your senses."

Steve chuckled and rolled his eyes, heading towards his office. Once he had changed his shirt, he headed back out to the rest of the team. Kono smiled knowingly.

"So your date went well last night, boss?"

"Date? What date? You had a date?" Danny asked, spinning around to face Steve.

"Yes, Danno. I had a date." Steve smirked. "And yes, Kono, it went very well."

"Wait, wait, wait, was it with that girl from last week? The one that looked after Grace?"

"Allison and yes, it was."

Danno stared at him, a look of disbelief on his face.

"You're screwing my babysitter?"

"She's not your babysitter. She's my..." Steve trailed off causing Danny to grin.

"She's your what? Your girlfriend?"

"Yeah...I think so." Steve admitted and as the team cheered, he really wished he'd just taken the extra ten minutes to go home and change.


	14. Chapter 14

**Authours note: Some of the dialouge may seem familiar because I took it from the show. It does not belong to me and I take no credit for it. Also, thank you for all the kind reviews :)**

Allison found herself sitting once again at Rachel's kitchen table around noon that day. She believed Steve when he told her that he wasn't going to run away again, but part of her was still uneasy and she decided that talking it over with someone might help her work through her issues. Since Rachel was really the only person in Hawaii that she knew, she was the obvious choice and after calling first to make sure she was home, Allison had rushed over.

"So what seems to be the issue?" Rachel asked, pouring them both something to drink. "You sounded upset on the phone."

"It's not really an issue, I guess," Allison said, not sure how to explain. "But I, uh, went on a date with Steve last night and we ended up sleeping together."

The last few words out of her mouth were so rushed that Rachel almost didn't catch them, but she managed to figure it out and smiled sympathetically at her new friend.

"And now you're scared he's going to disappear again." She guessed. Allison nodded.

"A little." She confessed. "But I kind of told him that I was and he promised me that he wouldn't and I believe him, but I don't at the same time."

"That's perfectly understandable," Rachel assured her. "But you have to give him chance to prove that you can trust him again."

"But if I do that, aren't I just giving him a chance to hurt me again?"

Rachel smiled at the younger woman sitting across from her.

"Of course, but that's the thing with love, isn't it? You have to just throw yourself into it and hope you come out alright."

Before Allison could reply there was a knock on the door. She was about to apologize for coming over with all her problems if Rachel had plans, but she noticed the confused look on the other woman's face and stayed quiet.

"I wonder who that could be," Rachel mumbled before going to answer the door.

Allison stayed in the kitchen for a few minutes until she heard Rachel raise her voice.

"No, absolutely not." Rachel said, grabbing Allison's attention. Her curious nature once again got the best of her and she snuck into the foyer to see what was going on.

"Fine, then I'll talk to Stanley," She heard Steve's partner and Rachel's ex-husband, Danny say as he walked into the house. "He's a goof, but at least he'll listen to reason."

"Stan is on a business trip to Indonesia," Rachel shouted over Danny, neither of them having noticed Allison yet. "And I knew that you would find a way to engage with me while he was gone."

"Okay, this has nothing to do with you and I," Danny argued. "You have potential murder suspects living next door and we just need access so we can do surveillance."

"Surveillance?" Rachel seemed skeptical.

"Yeah," A familiar voice piped up. "And then we'll be out of your hair. Trust me, they're bad people. You don't want them walking around your neighbourhood."

"Steve?" Allison said, stepping forward a bit more so she could see where he was standing by the door.

"Ally?" Steve's surprise evident in his voice. Danny turned around, obviously surprised as well.

"Oh well isn't this cute." Danny smirked. "Your girlfriend buddying up with my ex-wife."

Rachel rolled her eyes.

"What? Am I not allowed to have friends now, Danny?"

Allison, however, was more focused on what he'd called her and turned to Steve.

"Your girlfriend?" She asked, smiling slightly. "One date and you tell everyone I'm your girlfriend?"

Steve's eyebrows wrinkled together.

"Oh great, now she's giving him aneurysm face." Danny muttered. Steve quickly relaxed his face, glaring at Danny.

"I don't have an 'aneurysm face'," He said before turning to Allison. "And yeah, I mean, I thought after last night...and this morning, that we were...you know."

Steve tripped over his words, trying to find an explanation while painfully aware that everyone was looking at him. Allison smiled at his awkwardness and crossed her arms.

"Last time I checked, Steve, you're supposed to ask me first." She informed him.

Steve opened his mouth to reply, but Danny cut him off.

"This is great, real adorable, but not the time. Steve, we have work to do."

"Danny!" Rachel scolded, but Steve straightened up.

"No, he's right." He said, turning back to Rachel. "Have you noticed anything unusual with your neighbours?"

The two men asked Rachel a few more questions before she informed them she had to go pick Grace up from school. As she went into the kitchen to grab her purse, Allison followed.

"Well thanks for the advice," She said, grabbing her things as well. "I should probably go."

However, Rachel stopped her.

"Do you have work later?" Allison shook her head. "Would you mind staying? It would be nice to know there's someone to keep an eye on them while I'm gone and once I get back, having someone else here might help ease the tension between Danny and I."

"Yeah, sure." Allison said with a shrug.

Rachel quickly thanked her before rushing out the door, leaving Allison to babysit the two cops upstairs.

She went upstairs a few minutes later and found them setting up as Danny complained about the size of Rachel and Stan's bed.

"Jealousy's not a good colour on your, Dectective Williams." She spoke up, alerting them to her presence.

"Jealous? Who's jealous? I'm just saying it's not necessary for anyone to have a bed big enough to be its own country!" He criticized.

"No need to get defensive," Allison teased. Danny stared at her before turning to his partner.

"She's as bad as you are," He said. "Maybe even worse."

Steve chuckled as he set up their cameras.

"She's worse." He agreed. "Definitely worse."

"Hey, I'd watch it if I were you, Sailor," She warned. "You're still on probation."

"Sorry, Al." Steve smiled. "I'll be nice."

Danny shook his head at the two of them, sitting in a chair near Steve.

"So how'd you and my charming ex-wife become such good friends?" He asked.

"We just got talking after I dropped Grace off last week," Allison shrugged. "And I came over today to talk a few things over with her, get some advice."

Steve looked up, intrigued by her comment.

"Advice on what?"

"Private and confidential matters," Allison replied, not willing to spill all her secrets.

"See," Danny said, looking up at Steve. "This relationship is toxic. I forbid you to be friends with my ex."

Allison raised an eyebrow.

"That's really none of your business, Detective, but I'll pass it on to Rachel." She informed him before turning to leave the room.

"You're in trouble now, Danno." Steve teased. Allison heard a thud that sounded like it came from someone being hit with a pillow, but figured it would be safer not go to back and investigate.

Once Rachel was back from taking Grace to her friend's house, she and Allison spent the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening chatting in the kitchen. Allison learnt all about Danny and Rachel's relationship and also decided there were still a few unresolved feelings between them and Rachel was fairly confident that she had convinced Allison to give the Commander another chance instead of cutting him off completely at the risk of being hurt.

It was getting late when Danny finally came downstairs and informed the two women that the suspects were out of the house and that he was going in to look for evidence. He disappeared before they could even wish him luck and the now intrigued women headed upstairs to see Steve.

"You don't have to worry," Steve assured them. "Danny's a great cop. He knows what he's doing."

"Yeah," Rachel agreed. "I used to tell myself that every day before he went to work."

"Did it help?" Steve asked.

"Not really," Rachel confessed as Allison noticed movement on one of the screens.

"Steve, look." She pointed to it and Steve turned back to the window.

"Danny, Danny, you gotta move man, I've got the other two suspects coming in through the garage." He sounded nervous and that put both the women on edge as he turned towards them. "Have you got any flammables in the garage? Any kerosene, any gasoline?"

"What?!" Rachel asked as she began to panic.

"Danny's in trouble," He informed them. "I've gotta create a diversion."

"I-I have a thought," Rachel mumbled before running off. Steve nodded and went back to monitoring Danny as Allison curled up on the chair, biting her lip anxiously.

"I'm just glad it's not you in there," She confessed.

"Yeah, not this time." Steve said, causing her to sigh.

"Why couldn't I have fallen for a librarian?"

As she spoke there was a rather large bang outside and the suspects ran to investigate. Rachel's diversion had obviously worked. Seizing the opportunity, Danny ran out the door and hoped over the fence.

Once he was certain his partner was safe, Steve turned to Allison.

"A librarian?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, something where the worst occupational hazard is a paper cut."

Steve smiled and perched on the arm of her chair.

"Well if you don't mind the dangerous life of the leader of the governor's task force too much, I have something I'd like to ask you," Steve said, looking down at her.

"And what would that be?" She asked, knowing the answer already.

"Allison Jace, would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"

"Even though we both know you don't deserve it?" She asked, unable to resist one more little shot at him. He nodded and she smiled. "Then I would love to."

He grinned and leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her lips. As much as she wanted to hold him there forever, movement on the screens drew her attention away.

"Steve, I think those people are doing something again." She told him causing him to turn around and investigate. He radioed to Danny as Allison watched him closely, silently praying that she'd made the right choice.


	15. Chapter 15

"So I finally told Macy about us," Allison told Steve as they enjoyed their first night together since the little stake out. Their work schedules seemed to be rather conflicting so Steve had jumped at the chance to have her over for dinner as soon as they both had a night off.

"And?"

"Oh you know how Macy is. She's already naming our children."

Steve chuckled as he cut his steak.

"She was so furious with me after what I did," He said, looking down.

"Yeah, I know," Allison smiled. "She may be tiny, but she's fiercely loyal and she was desperate to not let you get away with hurting me."

"Well I deserved it," He admitted.

"You did," Allison agreed. "But I've thought long and hard about this and if we want to move forward, we have to let it go. I can't hold it against you and you can't feel guilty."

"So...you're not upset about it anymore?" Steve clarified.

"I get upset when I think about it, yeah." Allison shrugged. "But that's not healthy. I can't be in a relationship with someone I get upset with all the time so I'm willing to move on. I can't promise that I'll forget, but I'm willing to forgive."

Steve reached over and put his hand on top of hers.

"Thank you," He said quietly. "And I promise I won't hurt you like that again."

Allison smiled, turning her hand over to hold his.

"You better not," She warned him. "I'm not sure I'll be able to keep Macy under control if it happens again."

"I'll keep it in mind," Steve said, playfully shuddering at the thought.

The rest of their meal went well and afterwards Allison stood up, ready to do the dishes.

"No, sit down." Steve commanded. "You're a guest. I can do the dishes."

"Steve, that's silly. It'll go faster with two of us." She pointed out. Knowing she was right, Steve reluctantly backed down. "I'll wash, you can dry." She said, handing him a towel.

"You should consider yourself lucky," Steve told her, taking the towel before leaning against the oven as she filled the sink. "I'm not usually this obedient."

"I know," Ally smiled. "That's because you have to Mr. In-control all the time."

"I do not!" Steve protested. "I just usually have a better way of doing things than everyone else."

Allison laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, okay." She said, skeptically. "Maybe if you tried things someone else's way for once, you wouldn't get shot at so much."

"My team by get shot at slightly more than the average task force, but we also have a far higher success rate and handle more dangerous criminals!" Steve defended himself.

"Oh yeah, I bet you do," Allison said sarcastically, knowing it would wind him up. Steve calmly folded the towel he was holding and placed it on the counter before walking over and snaking his arms around Allison's waist.

"We do," He whispered in her ear. "I'm the best thing that's ever happened to this island."

Allison burst out laughing again.

"Controlling and arrogant? Wow, you don't have a lot going for you." She teased.

Steve moved his arms so his hands were just under her ribs.

"I think I've just about had enough of your jokes," He said with a smile. "And now it's time for some payback."

Before Allison could stop him, Steve started mercilessly tickling her sides. She squealed with laughter, squirming against him as she tried to get away.

"Steve!" She giggled, her fighting useless against his much larger and stronger frame. "Let me go! Please!"

"I will," He promised. "As soon as you admit that I'm not controlling!"

"But you are!" Allison managed to say between laughs.

Quickly realizing that Steve wasn't going to back down, Allison formed a new plan. The tap in front of her was still running so, ducking just in time, she held her thumb over the spout, spraying Steve right in the face. Just as she had hoped, he took his hands off her waist and attempted to block himself from the spray. Allison giggled and turned off the tap, admiring her boyfriend as water dripped from his face.

"Awe, you look adorable." She teased as he shook his head to dry his hair.

"Oh, it is so on," He mumbled before grabbing one of the pots fill of water out of the sink.

Before Allison even had time to think he had dumped it over her head.

"Steven!" She yelled, wiping the water out of her eyes. "That was dirty water, you loser!"

Due to the smile on her face, Steve knew she wasn't too upset and he pulled her towards him, kissing her softly.

"You started it," He pointed out once their lips had parted.

"I know, but..." Allison pouted up at him. "Now I'm all wet."

"Why don't you go up to my room and borrow one of my shirts?" Steve suggested. "I'll finish the dishes, pour us some more wine and meet you in the living room."

"Okay, Sailor." Allison smiled, pulling him down for one more quick kiss.

"Wow," Steve said, slowly eyeing up his girlfriend who had strolled into his living room wearing nothing but her panties and one of his old t-shirts from the Navy. "I didn't realize your pants got wet as well..."

Allison giggled and walked towards Steve.

"Oh yeah," She lied. "You just got me absolutely soaking."

Steve chuckled and moved, making room for Allison to sit in front of him. His back was resting against the arm of the couch, one leg was stretched out in front of him while the other hung down the front, his foot resting on the floor.

"All that squirming you were doing in the kitchen did quite a number on me as well," He whispered in her ear as she nestled herself against his chest.

"That was your own fault," She smiled, taking the wine he held out for her, leaving his own on the table beside them.

"Hm, I guess it was," He mumbled, gently brushing her hair away to give him access to her neck. He kissed lightly on her newly exposed skin causing a quiet moan to fall from her lips. Taking this as a sign of approval, he moved his hands to her thighs, slowly sliding them under his seal shirt. "You look so good in my clothes," His husky voice conveyed just how much he enjoyed her outfit.

Allison smiled, sipping her wine as she enjoyed the feel of his body against hers. She felt so relaxed being in his arms and, she had her suspicions the wine was to blame, but she suddenly felt completely at peace with her decision to give him another chance.

As Allison relaxed, Steve managed to slide his hand all the way up her thigh without her noticing. She did notice however when he lightly traced his finger over the panty covered area between her legs causing her to jump.

"Do you like that?" He smirked as he continued to softly tease her, already aware of the answer due to her body language.

Allison opened her mouth to respond, but didn't get the chance.

"Oh god!" A female voice yelled from the door way as the woman quickly averted her eyes.

Allison's eyes shot open almost as fast as Steve pulled back his hand.

"Mary!" Steve shouted back at the women as Allison did her best to cover herself with the shirt. "What the hell are you doing home?"

"I forgot about your date!" She peeked back to see if everyone was covered before turning to face the couple. "I'm sorry!"

Allison could tell from Steve's tense torso that he was not impressed and decided to step in.

"It's okay," She replied, her red cheeks giving away her embarrassment. "I'm Allison, or Ally."

"Mary Ann, Steve's little sister." The woman introduced herself. "And I've heard a lot about you."

"Probably all horrible lies," Allison smiled. "Unless, of course, they were good things."

"Oh definitely good things. Except you must be insane for forgiving him after he was such a dick to you."

"Mary," Steve practically growled at his younger sister.

"She has a point," Ally said, looking up at Steve. "But I supposed there are worse reasons to be crazy."

Steve smiled down at her and couldn't resist placing a quick kiss on her lips.

"Okay," Mary Ann said, not wanting to see anymore than she had. "I'm going to bed. You two lovebirds keep it down please. Some of us single people have things to do tomorrow."

As Mary left the room, Allison glanced at the clock on the wall, shocked at how late it was.

"Shit, I should go. I have work in the morning."

She moved to get off the couch, but Steve held her in place.

"So do I," He told her. "Sleep here tonight and I'll drop you off on my way to work."

Allison sighed, contemplating his offer, but she knew she couldn't accept.

"I can't, Steve." She said quietly. "If I stay, we won't do any sleeping and you especially can't do your job if you're exhausted."

"I also can't do my job when I'm sexually frustrated," He whispered in her ear, pulling her back against himself. She could feel his frustrations, only adding to her own arousal.

"Steve," What she'd hoped to be a warning tone came out more as a moan. "I have to go find my pants."

Steve ignored her protests, kissing her neck again, but Allison wasn't going to give in. She pushed Steve away, just forcefully enough that he got the point.

"I'll make it up to you," She said, standing up. "I promise."

She leaned down, kissing him once more before leaving to find her clothes.


	16. Chapter 16

Later that week, Allison raced around her apartment, trying to find the perfect pair of shoes to match her dress. The cab waiting outside kept honking and she knew that if she didn't hurry up, it would leave, but she was nervous about meeting the rest of Steve's team and wanted to look perfect. Steve had come up with the idea a few days before. He knew that Allison finished work at five-thirty that Friday and had taken it upon him to organize a dinner where she could meet his team. However, she suspected he had ulterior motives since they still hadn't had chance to finish what they had started a few nights ago.

Everyone was meeting at five forty-five and even though Steve understood she would be a bit late, Allison was in a mad rush to get there as soon as possible, feeling bad that she was keeping everybody waiting. After a final moment of deliberation, she frantically threw on the light blue wedges that she had worn when she had dinner on the beach with Steve a few weeks before and ran out the door.

However, once she arrived at the restaurant, and saw her boyfriend, she was distracted from her nerves.

"Steven! What the fuck happened?!" She said, referring to his arm which was currently bandaged up in a sling.

"Hey! Language!" Danny scolded, covering Grace's ears as Steve stood up to greet her.

"Sorry," She muttered before turning her attention back to Steve. "So? What happened?"

"Nothing," Steve assured her. "Just one of those occupational hazards we talked about."

"I'll tell you what happened," Danny piped up. "Steven here, almost died today."

"What?!" Allison practically shrieked.

"Shh," Steve laughed. "It's okay. I'm fine. Danno is just being dramatic, as usual."

"I don't think so, Uncle Steve." Grace said, joining the conversation. "Danno said you fell off a cliff!"

Allison stared at Steve, eyes wide.

"You fell off a cliff?" Her tone gave away how unimpressed she obviously was. "What were you doing on a cliff?!"

"Again," Danny jumped in. "I can answer that one. He dragged me 'hiking' to look at graffiti on rocks, found a body and, of course, being Super Seal he had to investigate."

Allison sighed and took a seat between Grace and Steve's empty chair, shaking her head.

"You are crazy," She informed him. "Like, I think there's something seriously wrong with you."

Her comment earned a laugh from the rest of the group and even Steve smiled as he sat down.

"I like this one," A man, obviously native to Hawaii, declared, causing Allison to blush.

"Thanks," She said, taking a minute to look around the table. "I'm Ally, as you probably guessed."

The rest of the group took a minute to introduce themselves.

"It's nice to finally meet the girl who made the boss so smiley," Kono commented.

"Smiley? Last I heard I gave him 'aneurysm face'." Allison joked, referring to a comment Danny had made the night of the stake out.

"That's not you," Grace informed her. "Danno says Uncle Steve does that a lot."

"Really?" Allison smiled down at the girl next to her. "Maybe that's just how his face is." She whispered, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

Grace laughed and nodded, causing Steve to butt in.

"Alright, alright. That's enough. I didn't invite you all here so you could make fun of me all night."

Allison wrinkled her nose, looking back at Steve.

"Then this evening is just not going to be what I signed up for." She teased.

"Man," Kamekona shook his head, a smile on his lips. "She is relentless. And fierce too. I didn't know what I was getting into when I agreed to be her security."

"I'm sorry about that," Allison admitted, now embarrassed by how she'd acted towards the man.

"No worries, brah," He assured her. "It's perfectly understandable."

Allison smiled, pleased that she was getting along so well with the people that she knew were very important to Steve. As the night went on, things continued going well. Of course, the drinks that were seemingly constant helped keep everyone in a good mood.

"Can I try that, Danno?" Grace asked as Danny's second beer was placed in front of him. Unlike most of the group, he had to pace himself and be responsible since Grace was around.

"This?" He pointed at his beer. Grace nodded and Danny shook his head. "Sorry, babe, but this is for adults only. And you probably wouldn't like it anyway."

"But Danno!" Grace whined. "I wanna try. Just one sip?"

Grace's pleading fell on deaf ears and Danny continued shaking his head. Allison was much more of a pushover though and felt bad for the poor kid.

"Hey," She whispered, elbowing Grace lightly as she picked up her fruity drink and held it under the table between them. "You can try some of mine, its way yummier."

Grace grinned, eagerly taking a sip as Danny stared at her dumbfounded.

"Did you seriously just give alcohol to a minor while sitting at a table full of cops?" He asked.

Allison smirked and looked at the detective, feigning a look of innocence.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." She lied. "Do you, Grace?"

The little girl grinned, shaking her head.

"Oh Monkey," Danny smiled, ruffling his daughters hair. "When did you get so sneaky?"

"I'm not!" She giggled. "It was all Auntie Allison's fault."

"Auntie?" Allison questioned, slightly shocked by her new title.

"Yeah," Grace nodded. "If you're gonna marry my Uncle Steve, you'll be my auntie."

"You're getting married?" Chin laughed.

"Ho'omaika'i 'Ana!" Kono congratulated them, joining in on the teasing.

Allison smiled at Grace, ignoring the look of horror on Steve's face.

"Uncle Steve and I won't be getting married for a very long time," She said, resting her hand on Steve's thigh to calm him. "But, I would love it if you considered me your auntie."

"Okay," Grace grinned and continued eating her fries as the adults chuckled over her ridiculous assumption.

Allison was just slightly above tipsy by the time her and Steve climbed into a cab to go home. Steve has been a little more responsible, but was definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol as well. As he told the driver his address, Allison cuddled up against him.

"Mmm, I like your cologne," She whispered, stretching up to kiss his neck.

Not really one for public displays of affection, Steve kept his cool and tried to ignore his girlfriend.

"Thanks," He said, shortly.

Alison was undeterred by his lack of interest and Steve turned to look out the window, hoping to distract himself. However, all that did was give Allison better access to continue her assault. Still not able to get a reaction out of her boyfriend, she decided to step it up, placing her hand on his thigh. She gently rubbed his inner thigh, straying dangerously close to a certain part of his anatomy that was quickly making its presence known.

"Ooh," Allison giggled, placing a light kiss on his ear lobe. "Good to know I wasn't the only one wound up after the other night,"

"You have no idea," Steve muttered, silently praying he could control himself until they got back to his house.

Luckily they were only two minutes away and once they arrived, Steve tossed a small bundle of cash towards the driver, no doubt leaving a generous tip, before pulling Allison out of the cab and towards the door. He unlocked the door faster than ever before and as soon as they were inside, he roughly shoved Allison against it, finally pressing his lips against hers. She moaned against his mouth, pulling him even closer. Her hands wandered down from his neck to his shirt and frantically began undoing the buttons. However, her drunken state combined with the sexual frenzy that was building between them made it incredibly difficult for her hands to complete the usually easy task. With a groan she gave up, ripping his shirt open, sending buttons flying in every direction. Steve laughed at her eagerness, using his good hand to carefully slide off the straps of her dress. Once it fell to the floor, Allison pulled away, breathing heavily.

"Wait, is your sister still here?"

Steve shook his head, another realization dawning on him.

"But I can't really fuck you against the door with a shattered forearm."

"Not even if I bend over like this?" Allison turned around and leaned against the door, sticking the lower half of her body out towards Steve and looking over her shoulder with a pout.

Steve stared for a moment, almost tempted to take her right there, but he managed to resist.

"Bedroom. Now." He growled.

Allison smiled and took off up the stairs with Steve following eagerly.

"Lose the pants and lie down, sailor," A now completely naked Allison said as he walked into his bedroom. He stared in awe, not moving from the door way. Allison smiled and walked over to assist him. "You're gonna have to give up some of that control you love so much to keep your arm safe." Allison informed him, undoing his belt.

Steve nodded, the thought of what was coming next was enough to break him out of the shock of seeing Allison's beautiful body. After kicking off his pants, he did as she instructed earlier and laid on his back. Allison grinned, slowly crawling up the bed over him. She tucked her hair behind her ear before connecting their lips once again. Steve groaned as Allison pulled away, but as she slid back a bit, he realized their bodies would soon be connected again. Knowing that neither of them needed anymore foreplay, Allison slowly lowered herself onto him, savoring the feeling of him sliding inside her. She let out a low moan as Steve's breath caught in his throat. She took a minute to adjust to his size before moving her hips. She started out slow, but as a feeling of desperation began to rise, her speed increased. She looked down at Steve and saw his eyes focused on her chest clearly enjoying her breasts bouncing with her movement causing her to smile briefly before tossing her head back, feeling her climax nearing. Closing her eyes, she reached a hand down, teasing her clit, now aching for release. Steve's eyes widened, but he quickly moved her hand, replacing it with his own.

"I'm so close," Allison groaned.

"I know," Steve's husky voice only turned her on more. "Come for me, baby."

As if on command, Allison did as he asked and as he felt Allison finally go over the edge, he too lost control, spilling inside her.

After taking a moment to come down from her orgasm, Allison climbed off her boyfriend, collapsing beside him.

"Wow, that was..." Steve trailed off to catch his breath. "Wow."

Allison giggled and kissed his cheek.

"I'd have to agree," She muttered, nuzzling his neck lazily.

"I love you," He told her, moving his arm to pull her closer. However, when he looked down at her now closed eyes he realized she had already fallen asleep.


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning Allison woke up to find Steve staring at her.

"Watching someone sleep is creepy," She informed him before stretching her neck to give him a quick good morning kiss.

"Well I was gonna go for a run," He explained. "But I know you have issues with waking up alone."

"Gee, I wonder whose fault that is." She glared playfully.

"I couldn't tell you," Steve smiled innocently causing Allison to roll her eyes.

"Well Sailor, why don't you go for that run? I'll have a quick shower and then start breakfast."

Steve nodded and kissed her before jumping out of bed. Allison watched as he got dressed, enjoying the view.

"You have a nice little tushy," She observed, causing Steve to turn around.

"Are you staring at my ass?" He asked, amused.

"Not staring, appreciating." She explained.

He rolled his eyes as he tied up his shorts.

"You're a strange one, Ally." He muttered as he walked out the door.

"It was a compliment! You're supposed to say thank you!" She shouted after him before flopping back against his pillows, a smile on her face. Despite her hesitations about giving Steve a second chance, it seemed to be going well. After taking a few minutes to reflect on great she felt at the moment, she dragged herself out of bed and into the shower.

Showering and breakfast took less time than Allison had anticipated and Steve still wasn't back from his run. The pancakes were keeping warm in the oven as she sat at the table, sipping her coffee and quickly becoming increasingly bored. After waiting for another twenty minutes, she decided there was no harm in exploring the house a little, maybe find a few photo albums and learn a little about his childhood since it was a topic he didn't like to talk about. She knew it was probably a rude thing to do, sneaking around her boyfriend's house, but boredom had never mixed well with Allison's curious nature.

The lack of pictures in the living room was something that Allison had noticed the first time she'd been to the McGarrett home after Steve's father had passed away. There wasn't even one picture of the family. Wandering into his office, she felt slightly more hopeful. There was a book case behind his desk that had several binders on and she quickly reached up to grab one and see what was inside. However, as she slid it off the shelf, a folder that was resting beside it fell too.

"Shit," She muttered as what looked like surveillance photos scattered across the floor. Concerned she was messing with evidence from a case, she quickly bent down to pick them up, but froze when she saw what they were. The pictures were all of her, taken recently too.

She was still staring down at the pictures five minutes later when Steve came home.

"Ally?" He called out.

"I'm in here!" She replied, her need for answers outweighing how mad she knew he'd be over her snooping.

"What are you doing in my office?" He said, frowning as he walked in the room. His bare chest glistened with sweat, but Allison tore her eyes away meeting his angry stare with one of her own.

"Care to explain these, Steven?" She practically growled at him.

"Care to explain why you're going through my things?" He shot back.

"I asked you first," She said. "And I think having someone take pictures of me throughout the day is a bigger invasion of privacy than what I was doing!"

"I didn't have someone take those pictures, Ally!" Steve explained.

"Oh, so someone on your stupid little task force just volunteered to spy on me?!"

"No!" Steve snatched the folder out of her hands. "They were sent to me."

"By who?" Allison asked, her anger slowly fading into concern.

"I don't know." Steve admitted. "But I think it's the same person who threatened me before."

"Well you have more connections now, right? You can find the guy now." She sounded confident in what she was saying, a great contrast to the fear she was actually feeling.

Steve sighed and shook his head.

"It's a little more complicated than that." He said, obviously holding back information.

"What? Why?" She asked, her temper rising again. "You have to be able to track them somehow! You have that 'full immunity and means' crap!"

"I can't tell you everything, Allison," He told her. "But it's more serious than I thought."

"What do you mean you can't tell me everything?! Of course you can! I'm the one in danger here!"

"I don't want to scare you, Allison."

"It's too late for that one, Steven. I'm already freaking the fuck out!" She informed him. "Being scared kinda comes with the territory of having a stalker!"

Steve sighed.

"You don't have a stalker." He assured her, causing Allison to stare at him as if he'd suddenly grown another arm.

"Then how the hell do you explain these pictures."

"Look, why don't you go plate up some of those pancakes that I can smell while I have a quick shower and then I'll explain everything." Steve promised.

"Why can you never just tell me things when I ask?" Allison asked, the tears filling her eyes finally giving away her fear. "I'm terrified, Steve. I just wanna know who's after me."

Steve stepped closer, silently cursing the man who was causing his girlfriend so much pain. Not wanting to cover her in his sweat, Steve resisted the urge to hug her and settled for gently kissing her cheek.

"I know, Ally. And I promise, I'll only be three minutes."

Allison turned away, blinking back her tears, but gave up, knowing she couldn't win anyway.

"Fine." She mumbled before pushing past him and going back to the kitchen.

Steve came back downstairs to find two plates, each with a mound of pancakes on, and Allison sitting at the table, not touching her food.

"So? Tell me everything." She demanded, the second he walked through the door.

He poured syrup over his pancakes, pondering where to start.

"The last time I got pictures of you with notes warning me to 'keep my distance before you get hurt', I assumed it was an angry ex-boyfriend, but I was wrong." Steve began.

"Of course you were," Allison informed him. "I don't have any angry exes."

"That's what every girl says, Ally. Sometimes break ups change people."

"I guess so," Allison shrugged, still not touching her food.

"But anyway," Steve continued. "It turns out that's not the case. The threats aren't so much to try and break us up, but to scare me."

"But who would want to scare you? And why?" Allison asked, full of questions. "And why did they stop once you stopped seeing me?"

"I honestly don't know how much of this I should tell you, Ally." Steve admitted.

"Everything!" She demanded, frustrations on the rise yet again. "You can't protect me all the time, Steven. And I can't protect myself at all if I don't know what I'm protecting myself from."

Realizing she was right, Steve decided to come clean.

"Okay." He put his fork down. "The people, or person, who is trying to scare me is a man named Wo Fat and his men. And I'd imagine the reason they stopped using you to threaten me last time was because they assumed you weren't as important to me as they first thought seeing as we weren't spending any time together. So they found other leverage. I was deployed on a mission to capture a man named Anton Hesse and his brother Victor got involved and he killed my father."

When Steve stopped explaining, Allison stared at him, eyes wide.

"So let me get this straight," She said, trying to process everything. "The men who are sent you those pictures of me are connected to the same men who killed your father and they only killed him because you didn't do exactly what they said?"

"Yes, but I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Ally." He promised. "I know more about him now, more about who's working for him. I don't think he's stupid enough to try anything."

Allison nodded, only half listening. She silently stared into space for a moment before turning back to Steve.

"You know what? I do have a lot of ex-boyfriends. It must be one of them, this is probably all just a big coincidence. I can give you a list of names to check out."

Steve couldn't help, but smile at her denial and naivety.

"I wish that was the case more than anything, Allison, but it's not." He reached over, holding her hand. "We managed to trace who sent the last few envelopes and they came from someone with known ties to Wo Fat."

"So you caught him? And he'll most likely give up his boss to get a shorter sentence, right? That's what they always do. So I have nothing to worry about." Allison rationalized hopefully.

"Unfortunately not." Steve told her, hating himself for causing the fear in her eyes. "By the time we got to him, he was dead. That's the kind of man Wo Fat is. He ties up every single loose end. My father has been tracking him for years and had no luck."

"Your father? Why?"

Steve sighed, not wanting to scare her more than he already had.

"Because he killed my mother as well. The car accident was staged."

"Oh god," Allison squeezed Steve's hand, knowing the topic must be hard for him. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. I'm gonna make sure I catch this son of a bitch and get justice for both my parents."

"But what about me?" Allison asked. "What am I supposed to do if there is a man out there that no one has been able to catch for like twenty years who wants to kill me just to get to you?"

"You're supposed to live your life like you normally would." Steve explained. "If Wo Fat or his men notice that something is up, it could lead them to doing something stupid out of fear of being caught."

"Something stupid? You mean like killing me?"

"I don't know, Allison. But I don't want to find out." Steve gently stroked her hand with his thumb in an attempt to reassure her. "The safest thing you can do is just continue with your daily routines."

"Or break up with you," Allison's voice was quiet, but as Steve's body tensed up, he obviously heard.

"Yeah, or that." He agreed. "But selfishly, I'd rather you didn't. Cutting you out last time was hard enough..."

Allison smiled.

"I won't break up with you," She assured him. "That would be letting the bad guy win and I don't wanna do that."

"Good," He lifted her hand and kissed it softly.

"But no more secrets!" Allison scolded. "If I'm in danger you can't keep it from me."

"I'll tell you everything," Steve promised.

Allison sighed, finally picking up her fork to eat her now cold breakfast.

"See," She muttered. "I told you I should've dated a librarian."


	18. Chapter 18

"Please Steve?" Allison held up a dress in front of the mirror as she talked to her boyfriend on the phone. "I really want you to meet them and you've said 'next time' at least three times now."

Two weeks after finding out she was the next target of possibly one of the most dangerous criminals in the world, Allison was doing fairly well. At first, it had been hard to just pretend everything was fine and continue with her life, but as time went on and nothing it happened, it was easy to forget that anything was wrong. She had also managed to pick up more shifts at work which has resulted in her forming a few fairly good friendships. Much like Allison, the girls she became friends with liked to party and invited her along several times over the last couple of weekends and even encouraged her to bring Steve. However, Steve never wanted to go and due to the small amount of time they had together, Allison always ended up missing out on the fun to spend time with him. This time was different though, it was the birthday of one of her coworkers and she was getting sick of Steve's excuses.

"It's not my scene anymore, Ally." Steve explained. "I'd rather just hang out with you. We could go down to the beach, relax with some wine, maybe go for a late night swim..."

Usually his attempts to change her mind worked perfectly, but this time they just annoyed her even more.

"Stop trying to manipulate me, Steven. I met your friends and now I want you to meet mine!"

"I have! I've met Rachel on several occasions and I met..." Steve fought to remember a name. "The tall blonde one when I picked you up from work once."

"Jessica," Allison told him again. "And that hardly counts as meeting. You were introduced, but you didn't even get out of your truck! They want to get to know you and I want to show off my hot Navy Seal boyfriend!"

"I'm tired, Allison. It's been a long day and I don't feel like staying up until two in the morning, drinking myself stupid just so I can feel like shit tomorrow."

"Fine." Allison said curtly. "But I'm going anyway. So have a good night all by yourself, Steven."

She hung up her phone before tossing it on the bed, ignoring the fact that it was ringing again with Steve's name on the screen.

"Oh my god!" Alani, the birthday girl, slurred over the music. "I looove this song!"

They'd been at the bar for at least an hour and a half and most of the girls were already pretty far gone. Despite trying not to let her no-fun boyfriend ruin the night, Allison was definitely holding back as she moped over Steve's crappy attitude.

"You guys go!" She said, stepping back as Alani tried to pull all the girls to the dance floor. "I'm gonna go have a few more drinks!"

That was a good enough excuse for the girls and they danced off as Allison headed to the bar. Once she got there she quickly looked over each of the bartenders. Finding the cutest one, she pushed her way to the front, hoping to squeeze a few free shots out of the guy.

"Hey you," She smiled, leaning on the bar. His eyes travelled to her cleavage as he returned her smile.

"Hey, having fun?" He asked.

She shrugged, pouting slightly.

"It would be better if I had a hottie like you to dance with," She threw in a wink for effect.

"I'm sure you can find someone out there,"

"After seeing your muscles, I'm not sure anyone could measure up," She lowered her voice, leaning closer so he could still hear. She knew she was laying it on thick, but he didn't seem to notice the cheesiness as he grinned back at her.

"That's a shame," He said. "But what can I get you?"

"Hmm...How about a screaming orgasm?" She requested, referring to the popular shot.

"How about just an orgasm?" He offered.

"Awe, don't underestimate yourself. I'm sure you could make me scream." She twirled her hair, but noticed his gaze had shifted from her to someone behind her. Then she felt an arm around her waist.

"Actually, the only person who'll be making you scream is me." She heard a very familiar, and unimpressed, voice say.

"What are you doing here, Steven?" She asked, turning to face him.

"Apparently I'm finding my girlfriend trying to charm her way into the bartender's pants!" His tone was calm, but there was an unmistakable flash of anger in his eyes.

"Shit," She mumbled. "Look, it's not a big deal. I can explain."

"Yeah, okay. Well I'm gonna go." He told her. "I'll call you tomorrow and you can fill me in then if you're not too busy with someone else."

Allison groaned and grabbed his arm as he turned away.

"I'm coming with you. But I have to find my friends first."

Without waiting for him to respond, she began shoving her way through the crowd, dragging him behind her.

Allison was able to get away from her drunk friend's quite easily, claiming she was beginning to feel sick from all the alcohol and didn't want to ruin their night. They made sure she was okay before letting her go.

"I parked over here," Steve muttered once they were outside, pulling her away from the club.

Allison waited until they were a decent distance from everyone else before pulling her hand away.

"Can we talk?" She asked.

"Go for it," Steve said. "Because I'd love to hear why you were about to have sex with that guy."

"I wasn't about to have sex with him!" Allison protested indignantly. "I may have implied it, but it was just to get a couple of free drinks out of the guy!"

"Seriously, Allison?" Steve stared at her. "I know you haven't had many boyfriends lately, but you can't do things that like when you're in a relationship!"

"Is that was this is? A relationship?" Allison asked sarcastically. "Sorry, I was confused. Because last time I checked, when you're in a relationship you occasionally do something your girlfriend wants to do even if it's not 'your thing'!"

"I'm sorry I didn't come," He admitted. "But I felt bad which is why I'm here now and it doesn't give you the right to flirt like that with other guys!"

"But it's not just this, Steve!" Allison's voice was starting to rise. "I'm pretty sure that sometimes when you're in a relationship you put your girlfriend before work too especially if she just spent her afternoon planning and cooking you a nice meal." She was referring to one night earlier in the week when Steve had blown her off due to some important case.

"You know how things are with my job!" Steve shot back. "I can't always avoid going in, even if I don't want to."

"Well it sucks!" Allison yelled. "And it makes me feel like shit!"

Steve cringed as people passing by looked over.

"Okay, let's go," Steve demanded. "We can finish this at home."

He went to grab her hand, but she moved away quickly causing him to grab her purse instead.

"No! I'm not going home with you." She told him. "You're being a dick."

"Allison, you're making a scene." Steve said as more people turned to look. "Let's go," He tugged on her purse.

"No!" Allison tugged back.

As they fought over her purse, Allison didn't notice that it had flipped upside down. That is, until a certain bag fell out causing Steve's eyes to widen as he stopped fighting.

"Ally, what's this?" He asked, picking up the little bag that was full of marijuana.

"It's weed, Steve." She said, knowing he knew the answer.

"You are aware that it's illegal, right?"

"Of course I am. I'm not an idiot!" Allison snapped. "But it's illegal for stupid reasons."

"The reasons don't matter!" Steve argued. "It's still illegal! And it's bad for you. Smoking damages your lungs and what if it's laced? You could end up addicted to something a lot worse!"

Allison rolled her eyes.

"Calm down. It's not like I'm some crazy pot head, I just like to indulge every once in a while."

"You do realize I could arrest you right now, don't you?"

Allison stared at him, trying to see if he was being serious. However, his navy training was paying off and she couldn't tell.

"You mean like "Ooh I'm your sexy cop boyfriend and you've been a bad girl so I'm going to handcuff you to the headboard" kind of arrest?" She joked, trying to calm some of the anger in his eyes.

"No. I mean arrest you and take you to jail for probably quite a long time based on this amount of marijuana."

Allison sighed.

"We both know that you're not going to do that."

"No, I'm not." Steve agreed. "But it's my job to enforce the law, Allison. I can't have a girlfriend that goes around breaking them!"

"Yeah? Well I can't have a boyfriend who acts like my father!"

She took advantage of his shocked expression and grabbed her bag back, quickly shoving it into her purse. She turned to walk away, but Steve spoke up.

"Where are you going?"

"Home."

"Alone? You're going to walk home at night alone?"

"Honestly, Steven. At this point, I'd rather deal with a couple of crazy, drunken idiots than you. So yes, I'm going to walk home alone." She informed him. "My apartment is five minutes from here and there's a million people around. I'll be fine."

"Allison-"

"Steve, don't." She interrupted. "I'm tired and grumpy. Just leave me alone."

She heard Steve sigh, but ignored him as she headed off in the direction of home, fighting back the tears that were pricking her eyes.


	19. Chapter 19

"And now I haven't heard from him in two days," Allison concluded once again telling her problems to Rachel.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Rachel assured her. "Danny couldn't have Grace this weekend because of some high profile case they were working on."

"Well he still could've at least texted me to make sure I got home alive," Allison said with a sigh. "I honestly have no idea how you have a successful marriage."

Rachel looked down, suddenly looking slightly ashamed.

"It might not be as successful as you think." She informed her.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I'm having an affair," Rachel admitted causing Allison's jaw to drop.

"With who?"

"Daniel," Rachel's voice was quiet.

"Oh my god," Allison said, eyes wide. "Scandal!"

"I know," Rachel groaned. "It's terrible."

"No it's not," Allison informed her. "Well...it's not great, but I could tell from the first time I saw you two together was still something between you."

"But I'm married," Rachel reminded her. "I shouldn't be sleeping with other men when my husband's off on a business trip."

"True," Allison agreed. They were quiet for a moment before she spoke up again. "Do you think you're going to get back with Danny?"

"I don't know," Rachel admitted. "It's complicated."

Allison nodded, but was distracted by her phone beeping on the table.

"_I think we should talk. Meet me at Mea'ai Cafe in half an hour._"

"It's from Steve," She explained. "I'm really sorry to cut this short, but I've gotta go."

"That's okay," Rachel said.

Allison got up and gave her friend a quick hug.

"I'll call you later," Allison promised. "We'll figure this whole Danny thing out."

Rachel nodded and Allison left.

"What the hell's the matter with you?" Danny shouted to Steve as he walked into Five-0 headquarters. "I've called you like fifteen times!"

Steve raised an eyebrow and reached into his pocket to check his phone.

"I didn't hear it ring..." He said, not finding it in his pockets. "I must've left it in my office."

He went to check, surprised it wasn't with him. He always had his phone on him. After turning his office upside down, he still couldn't find it.

"Do you guys mind if I head home early today?" Steve asked, coming out of his office.

"Can't find it?" Kono asked as her boss looked around the room. Steve shook his head.

"Well we're almost done here anyway, just some paper work to finish, so go ahead." Chin said.

Steve raced home, a bad feeling nagging at him as he drove. Once he got there he checked all the obvious places he would have left his phone, but after not finding it, he tore the place apart. However, after half an hour, he still hadn't found it. Knowing he was already on thin ice with Allison, he figured it would be best to call her and let her know the situation before she assumed he was ignoring her. Grabbing the house phone, he quickly dialed her number.

"Hello?" Allison answered her phone as she walked across the street to the cafe where she was supposed to meet Steve.

"Hey, it's Steve," She heard her boyfriend say, sounding frazzled.

"Oh hey." She said, trying to sound disinterested. "I know I'm late, but I'm literally walking across the parking lot right now."

"Late? Late for what?"

"Meeting you at the cafe?" She said as if she was talking to a five year old. "You texted me half an hour ago saying to meet you here. Are you okay? Did you bump your head or something?"

"Allison, I lost my phone. I don't know who texted you, but it wasn't me."

Allison froze, her hand on the door to the cafe.

"But it said it was sent from your phone..." Allison suddenly felt very vulnerable as Steve's tales of the man who was using her as a pawn in his game flooded her mind.

"I need you to stay calm and stay exactly where you are." Steve instructed. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Allison was just about to do as she was told when she saw two men inside moving towards the door. They were big men, both wearing suits, not even bothering to hide the guns on their waists.

"I don't think you're gonna get here in time," Allison told Steve, her heart pounding in her chest. "There's two guys walking towards me right now...and they have guns."

"Shit," Steve mumbled. "Which cafe are you at, Ally?"

"The one that's kinda near your house, Mea'ai Cafe." She told him, tears filling her eyes as she began to walk away from the door. For a moment she had every intention of doing what Steve had asked, but as the men got closer, she decided she couldn't just stand there and practically give herself up to the people she now realized had tricked her.

As she spoke she heard the cafe doors slam and the men's foot steps behind her. She picked up her pace, but knew she didn't stand much chance.

"I'm sorry about the fight, Steve." She confessed her heart pounding. "I don't know what's about to happen to me, but if things end badly I don't want you to feel bad about that."

"Don't say that, Ally. Nothing's going to happen."

As soon as he finished his sentence, one of the men grabbed her arm. She hadn't realized how close they had gotten and she suddenly realized she should've listened to Steve. At the cafe, there were plenty of people around, she probably could've distracted them long enough for Steve or the police to get there, but now she was alone, next to a dark alley with these two men. The one that wasn't holding her arm snatched the phone from her hand and as Steve called out frantically for his girlfriend, he smashed it on the ground.

"It's Allison, right?" The man who now had both of her arms pinned behind her back asked.

"What do you want from me?!" She shouted, hoping to draw someone's attention, but there was no one around.

"Us? Nothing. Our boss however is quite interested in you."

Allison glared at the man before kicking and thrashing, trying to get lose.

"We need to get her out of here," The one holding her said. "It won't be long before McGarrett shows up."

"Let me go!" She screamed, throwing her head back, managing to make contact with the jaw of the one behind her.

"Fuck!" He yelled, loosening his grip on her.

Ally used this momentary distraction to wriggle out of his grasp, but unfortunately his partner was still focused. He quickly grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"We didn't want it to come to this," He informed her before pulling his gun out of its holster.

Allison's breath caught in her throat, but before she could even get out a scream, the butt of his weapon collided with her head, knocking her unconscious.

Steve sprinted the short three blocks to the cafe and cursed loudly when there was no sign of Allison inside or around the cafe.

"Have you seen a girl in here today about so tall," Steve gestured with his hand. "Shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes."

"Uh, yeah. Quite a few..." The teenage boy behind the counter answered.

"Well any that stood out?"

"Not really, no." He replied with a shrug.

"Can I use your phone?" Steve asked, realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere with the boy.

"Sure," The boy disappeared and came back a moment later, phone in hand. Steve took it, frantically dialling Danny's numbed.

"Detective Williams," Danny answered.

"Danny, its Steve. I need you and the rest of Five-0 to meet me at Mea 'ai Cafe right now." He demanded. "And tell Chin to bring me a new phone."

"Why? What's going on?"

"Someone stole my phone," Steve explained. "And they used it to text Ally and trick her into coming here. She walked right into a trap."

"Is she okay?" Danny asked.

"I don't know. They..." Steve trailed off, cursing himself for getting emotional. "They kidnapped her."

"Stay there and don't do anything stupid," Danny instructed. "I'll be there in five minutes."

Steve agreed and hung up the phone.


	20. Chapter 20

When Allison woke up, her head was throbbing. However, she managed to open her eyes, despite the pain. The room she was in was dark and pretty much empty. She was on a cot in the corner, her left wrist handcuffed to the frame which was bolted to the floor. She looked around the room, not able to see much. There was a window in the corner, but the blinds were closed, keeping out all the sunlight.

As she slowly began to wake up a bit more, she began to struggle against the handcuff. She knew it was probably useless, but she wasn't going to give up without a fight. However, the clanging that it caused only made her headache worse and she regretted it moments later when she heard footsteps in the hallway. Obviously her noise had alerted them to the fact that she was awake.

The door swung open, smashing against the wall as the two men strolled in. She was pleased to see one of them had a fat lip, at least she'd managed to cause them a little pain as well. It soon became obvious though that he was quite bitter about what she had done as he marched straight over to the blinds and opened them. The light that burst into the room into the room almost blinded Allison and made the pain in her head almost unbearable. She groaned and covered her eyes with her free arm.

"Awe, does the poor princess have a headache?" The injured man mocked her.

"Fuck off," She muttered, hoping that if she squeezed her eyes shut tight enough, the pain might lessen slightly. It didn't seem like her plan was going to work though.

"I'm afraid we can't do that," The second man informed her. "The boss wants us to get in touch with that little boyfriend of yours."

Her arm was roughly pulled away from her face and used to wrench her into a sitting position. She blinked rapidly for a few minutes, trying to ignore the throbbing in her head. Eventually she was able to keep her eyes open and saw the man with the busted lip pull out his phone.

"You're not going to get away with this," Allison warned them. "He'll find me. He'll do anything to get me back."

She had hoped the threat would scare them, but they simply grinned at her.

"That's what we're hoping for," The man said before hitting send.

Allison took a moment to ponder what he had said before coming to the figuring out their plan. They wanted Steve and since she was a much easier target, they were going to get him to give himself up willingly to save her.

"Detective Williams, put McGarrett on the phone." The kidnapper said, obviously trying to keep things brief so they couldn't track the line. Ally couldn't hear what Steve was saying, but saw a smirk appear on her captors face. "Yes, Commander, we have your precious girlfriend and yes, she's fine...for now."

Even though she still couldn't hear what he was saying, she could hear Steve yelling through the phone. Still, the man just smirked before walking over and holding the phone to her ear.

"Steve?" She asked quietly.

"Allison! Are you okay?" He sounded panicked.

"I'm fine, Steve. I mean it, I'm okay." She assured him. "But you can't come get me! That's what they want-"

Before she could finish explaining the man holding the phone pulled it away and used his other hand to smack her across the face. She fell back against the bed, unable to hold back a cry of pain as her head began to throb again.

"We'll be in touch." The man said to Steve before hanging up the phone.

"That was a stupid thing to do, you little bitch." The second man told her, but as he went to hit her again, his partner stopped him.

"Not now. There'll be plenty of time for that later," He looked at Allison with a grin that made her stomach turn before both men left, leaving her alone.

It had been three days since the kidnappers had made contact and Steve was beginning to lose it. They had nothing. No leads, no witnesses, no evidence of any kind to figure out who had taken her and where they might be keeping her. They were completely at the mercy of the men who had taken her and it was driving Steve crazy.

"Steven, we have no leads," Danny reminded his partner as he walked into Steve's office that morning. "You staying up all night isn't going to change that."

"What do you want me to do, Danny?" Steve asked, not impressed by his partner's intrusion. "Do you really think I can sleep knowing those men have Allison?"

"So you have actually been here all night?" Steve nodded. "Jesus, that is not helping anyone! You're going to end up dying of exhaustion and then when they call us again and we need you, you will be absolutely no use!"

"I'm fine, Danny." Steve insisted.

Danny was not convinced and definitely not about to let it go, but Steve's phone vibrated on the table before he could argue.

"It's from the kidnappers," Steve informed him as he frantically opened the text message.

"_Check your email._" Was all it said.

Steve quickly rushed to the table in the middle of their office and opened his email, suddenly filled with a new hope and anxiety. There was one new email in his inbox from an unfamiliar address. He opened it, clicking the link without hesitating and as Chin and Kono walked in, a video popped up on the screen.

"Ally," Steve whispered, now staring at his girlfriend who was tied to a chair in the middle of an empty room.

"What's going on?" Chin asked.

"The kidnappers sent Steve a link to this, which looks like a live feed of Allison." Danny filled them in.

"Kono, I need you to track the IP address from where this email was sent," Steve demanded, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Sure thing, boss." Kono said, going to work.

"Hey there, Steve." A male voice said from behind the camera. "I bet you're real worried about this pretty little thing right here." As he spoke he moved the camera closer and Steve was relieved to see that other than a few scratches on her face, she seemed relatively unharmed. "You probably should be," The man continued. "Because she won't be so pretty by the time we're done with her."

"Don't listen to them, Steve!" Allison shouted. "I'm fine. Don't do anything they say!"

The man holding the camera, reached over and smacked her across the face again. She cried out in pain as his hand made contact with her already bruised cheek.

"We will gag you if you do not shut up!" The man yelled, but to everyone's surprise Allison simply rolled her eyes.

"So you keep saying!" She shot back, her tone conveying her disbelief.

"Let's just get this over with," A second man off camera suggested.

Steve watched as the camera was moved back to the stand and both men approached his girlfriend. The one on the left cracked his knuckles.

"Smile for the camera," He snarled before punching Allison squarely on the jaw. As the second man held the chair steady, his partner continued his merciless beating.

"Kono!" Steve shouted. "I need that IP address right now!"

"I traced it back to an empty warehouse on Waiola Street."

"Okay, you and Chin go check that out." He ordered, but Danny stopped them.

"Steve, these men are not stupid enough to slip up like that. Not if they're working for Wo Fat."

Steve nodded, knowing he was right.

"Fine, send HPD." He said, as the man momentarily stopped beating and walked off camera once again.

"Anything you'd like to say, _Ally_?" The man behind the chair asked.

"You guys must think you're real tough, beating the shit out of defenceless girl," She spat, her words slurred slightly due to the swelling of her face. "Or is that the only way to make it a fair fight?"

Steve smiled slightly at how feisty she was even in such a horrible situation, but his smiled faded as the man appeared again, this time armed with a baseball bat. He was obviously upset by her comment and didn't even hesitate to swing the bat, smashing it against her stomach. Allison couldn't even scream, but the look on her face gave away how much pain the attack was causing her.

"Oh my god," Kono muttered as Danny put his hand on Steve's shoulder.

"You don't have to watch this," He told him, but Steve's face remained emotionless.

"Yes, I do."

Danny nodded, understanding how his partner felt and stood by him as he watched the horror that was unfolding on the screen.

Almost ten minutes later, the men finally stopped and came back towards the camera.

"When you're ready, call the number that sent you that text." They instructed before picking up the camera again.

As they got closer to Ally, Steve felt his heart break. Her face was a bloody, swollen mess.

"Any parting words?" They asked her and Steve saw a faint smile appear on her face.

"You punch like girls," She muttered, infuriating the men once again.

"Fucking bitch," Steve heard one of the men growl before Allison's chair was pushed backwards. Due to the fact that her hands were currently tied to the seat and unable to help her protect herself, her head collided with the floor, and he watched helplessly as his girlfriend was knocked unconscious.


	21. Chapter 21

This time when Allison woke up, she was surprised to find that she wasn't tied up. However, as soon as she tried to move, she realized why. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. Tasks that at one point had been so effortless, like breathing or even blinking, now caused her almost unbearable pain. Fighting through it, she managed to sit up just enough to look around the room. She was still in the same place and the cot in the corner suddenly looked rather inviting despite her knowledge that it was actually one of the most uncomfortable things she'd ever laid on.

She had almost decided the slight comfort of the bed compared to the floor was not worth the struggle it would take to get there when she noticed something lying on top of the sheets. She squinted, trying to focus her vision despite the swelling and confirmed her suspicions: one of the men had left his coat. She vaguely remembered the man who was responsible for most of her injuries putting his phone in the pocket when he took it off, but there was no way he'd be that careless...was there?

Allison was suddenly filled with a new hope. Her adrenaline kicked in, making her pain momentarily bearable enough that she managed to drag herself over to the bed. By the time she got to the cot, she was breathless and so weak that she hardly had enough strength to lift her arm and reach for the coat. But she did it and the relief she felt when her hand touch the hard case of a cell phone was brought tears to her eyes. As composed herself, she typed Steve's number into the phone with more urgency than ever before.

"McGarrett," He answered instantly.

"Steve," She whispered, not wanting to alert anyone to what she was doing. "It's Ally."

"Ally?! What's going on? Are you okay?" He asked frantically before she heard him speak to someone else. "Trace the call, it's Allison."

"N-not really," She choked out, fighting back tears. "But one of the men left his phone. I don't know when they'll be back."

"I'm supposed to be meeting with someone in ten minutes to talk about getting you back," He told her.

"No! Steve, you can't!" Ally begged. "Please. Anyone, but you! That's exactly what they want."

"We're tracing the call right now, Ally. Stay on the line as long as you can so we can get a lock on your location," He informed her. "But if we can't then I'm gonna have to meet with them. It's the only chance I have to get you back."

"T-they won't let me go," Allison said, knowing it was true even if it was painful to admit. "I've seen it on TV a million times. If you meet with them, they'll have what they want and they'll kill me."

"But if I don't, they'll kill you without me having any chance to save you."

"At least you'd be okay," She teared up again. "Steve, I lo-"

Allison froze, hearing noise outside the door.

"Steve, they're coming," She whispered, her fear obvious in her voice. "I've gotta go, but promise you won't meet with anyone."

"Stay on the line for ten more seconds and I won't need to go anywhere."

"I can't!" She whispered as she heard the doorknob began to turn.

"Don't hang up, Ally." Steve begged. "We can find you, just don't hang up!"

Allison was filled with panic, but did as he said. She put the phone back in the coat pocket, leaving the call open to Steve. She scooted away from the cot as the door opened, hoping they wouldn't realize what she had done. However, she knew that wasn't going to happen as soon as the men stepped into the room.

"I'm not going to be killed because you fucked up," The man who hadn't left his coat yelled as they walked in the room.

"Relax, she's probably not even-" They stopped talking as they noticed Ally staring at them from the corner.

There was a distinct flash of anger in the eyes of the man who had attacked her and Allison cringed as he ran over, snatching up his coat and his phone.

"You think you could get away with this? Pull one over on us and call your little boyfriend without us knowing?!" He yelled.

"She won't get away with it," His partner said as he pulled his gun off his belt. Allison felt her heart pounding in her chest. "And neither will you."

Before the man holding his phone even had time to turn around, a bullet tore into the back of his head, showering Allison with his blood. She screamed, scrambling to get away from the man's now dead body.

"Oh my god!" She screamed. "You killed him!"

"Yes, I did." The man said as if it was nothing. His passive attitude only filled Allison with more fear. "It's what I do when people do stupid things that cause me more problems. Don't make the same mistake."

As he turned the gun toward Allison, she stopped moving and held her hands up in defeat.

"O-okay. What do you want me to do?" She asked, praying that Steve had managed to trace the call.

"Come over here," He gestured with his gun. Allison nodded and moved as fast as her injuries would allow. "Faster!" He demanded. "Don't think I don't know that McGarrett is on his way here. Don't even try killing time."

"I'm not!" Allison said honestly.

The man growled, obviously not having the patience to deal with her, but to her relief he put his gun back on his belt. He strode towards her, stepping over his dead partner's body without a second thought and quickly picked up the discarded handcuffs. Turning to her, he roughly pulled her arms behind her back before cuffing her wrists together. She groaned in pain, but no longer had the energy to put up a fight and the man picked her up before carrying her out the door.

"Clear!" Steve heard Danny yell, his heart getting heavier with each room they found empty. The phone call had cut out at the sound of a gunshot, but luckily they had managed to trace the call to an old abandoned apartment building about fifteen minutes outside of the city.

"I've got a body!" Kono radioed from the second floor.

"Is it...?" Steve trailed off, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

"No, no sign of Allison." She replied. "But this looks like the room where they had her. The victim is male, early thirties, I think he's the one that was beating her."

"Ally's not here, Boss." Chin said, coming up behind him. "But we did find a laptop connected to a security camera outside and a black SUV was recorded leaving about 10 minutes ago."

"Did you get a license plate?"

"Partially. The police are working on finding a clearer shot."

"Send out a description to every squad car in the city." Steve demanded. "I want road blocks on every major road. He killed his partner, he's panicking and probably going to slip up."

Chin nodded and pulled out his phone to send out the message as Danny walked over.

"You okay?" He asked.

Steve sighed and shook his head.

"No, I'm not." He answered honestly.

Danny placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll find her," He promised his partner. "And Ally's a fighter, she won't give up."

Steve nodded again before walking away. His fist making contact with the wall on his way out the door was his only obvious display of emotion.


	22. Chapter 22

Allison squirmed in the back of her captor's SUV. She knew she had a better chance of being noticed if she could sit up and look out the window, but her hands were still cuffed behind her back and her feet had been tied together and to her wrists, pulling them up behind her. There was really no way for her to move and thanks to the duct tape on her mouth, she couldn't even scream.

Finally realizing that all her struggles were doing was causing her more pain, Allison gave up. However, it wasn't long before her hope was restored. She heard the faint sound of sirens in the distance, but as the drive became drastically faster and jerkier it was obvious the driver had heard them as well. Allison did her best to stop herself from sliding around too much and prayed the driver wouldn't do anything stupid.

As the sirens got louder, and closer, the driver took a sharp left, sending Allison flying across the back of the car. She groaned in pain before sliding back the other way as they hit another sharp turn, her head colliding once again with something hard. She fought for consciousness as the sirens suddenly seemed to be coming from all directions. After another minute of spastic driving, the car screeched to a stop, slamming Allison against the back of the seat behind her.

Through the dull throbbing in her head, she heard muffled voices before the sound of a car door opening.

"Drop the weapon!" She heard Danny yell.

Not even a minute later the sound of gunshots filled the air. Allison screamed against the duct tape, desperate to know who had just been shot. She struggled frantically against her restraints with renewed vigor, trying to get someone's attention. A few more minutes passed, the sound gunfire could still be heard and Allison realized her efforts to gain attention would be fruitless.

As she gave up the fight, she became painfully aware of the throbbing throughout her entire body. The back of the car seemed to be spinning, almost in the same way things seemed to spin after a night of drinking and that, combined with the slight blur to her vision, was starting to raise a few concerns. She closed her eyes for a moment, only succeeding in making the dizziness worse. She was so focused on trying to suppress the nausea that was beginning to rise that she didn't even notice the back of the SUV open.

"Ally?" She heard Steve's voice, sounding like it was off in the distance. "Allison, open your eyes. Come on, Ally, open your eyes."

As he pleaded with her, she felt movement and, using all the energy she had left, she carefully opened her eyes. Apparently Steve was not off in the distance after all and seeing his face after all the pain she had just been through and the worry that she might never see him again caused Allison to finally breakdown. Tears poured from her eyes and as Steve carefully removed the duct tape from her mouth and her sobs became clear, his own eyes quickly glossed over.

"I need an ambulance!" He yelled, quickly setting to work untying her feet.

"Steve," She sobbed. "I should've listened to you. I'm so sorry!"

Her voice was weak and Steve felt another flash of anger towards the man who seemed insistent on destroying his life.

"Shh, no. Allison, you have nothing to be sorry for." Steve assured her, leaning over to place a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Allison nodded, but stopped due to the pain. She tried to control her tears, closing her eyes once again.

"My head," Her voice was barely above a whisper. "It hurts so bad."

"The ambulance should be here soon, baby. You're gonna be okay. Just keep your eyes open," Steve demanded.

"I don't think so," Allison mumbled. "I think I'm just...I'm just gonna nap."

"Ally, no!" Steve shouted, trying to keep her awake. However she simply whined before passing out in his arms.

When Allison woke up she was painfully aware of two things: a loud beeping noise coming from her left and how hard it was to breathe. She opened her eyes, blinking slowly to adjust to the brightness of the white room before looking around, cautiously. She was in a hospital. The beeping was coming from a heart monitor next to the bed and as she scanned the room, her eyes fell on Steve who was asleep on a chair in the corner.

At the sight of her boyfriend, her eyes filled with tears once again as all the memories came flooding back. He had saved her. She had no idea how he had found them, but he had saved her, probably risking his own life in the process.

"Steve," Allison choked out, but her throat was dry making her voice practically impossible to hear and consequently, Steve didn't even stir. She sighed and stretched her arm towards the button for the nurse. Moments later, a middle aged woman appeared at the door, a smile on her face.

"It's good to see you're awake," She said quietly. "You had us all worried for a while there. Especially this one," She gestured to Steve. "I'm Anita, your nurse."

"C-can I have...water?" Ally choked out before trying to clear her throat.

The talking and sound of Allison coughing was enough to wake Steve and he shot out of the chair and to Allison's side as soon as he saw she was awake.

"Ally, you're awake." He smiled, kissing her forehead as he had done in the SUV. "I was so worried. God, I'm glad you're okay."

The nurse smiled at the couple, quietly slipping out to get her patient a glass of water as Allison reached out to hold Steve's hand.

"Thank you, Steve." She said, tears steadily rolling down her cheeks.

"Don't mention it, Ally." He wiped her eyes, careful not to hurt her still bruised skin.

"Everything hurts," She admitted, letting more tears fall. "And I must look awful."

"You look beautiful," He assured her. Allison didn't believe him and was about to question his sanity when another thought popped into her mind.

"Who got shot?" She asked, remembering the gunfire that she had heard. "Is anyone else hurt?"

"Just the bastard that did this to you," Steve informed her. "I got him a couple times. Nothing fatal though, he doesn't deserve to get off without rotting in jail for the rest of his life."

"But everyone else is fine? No one on your team got hurt because of me?"

"No one," He smiled, amazed by how she could be so concerned for the others when she was in so much pain herself.

The nurse came back a few minutes later with a glass of water.

"Thanks," Ally said, sipping eagerly. "And can I have something for the pain?"

"Of course," The nurse smiled. "Just let me check your vitals and then I'll give you some more pain killers to tide you over until the doctor can see you."

By the time her doctor came in, accompanied by Chin, almost an hour later, Allison was feeling the effects of her pain killers quite strongly.

"How're you doing, Allison?" The doctor asked.

Allison giggled.

"Good," She told them. "So good. That pain stuff really works."

"She's a little loopy," Steve confessed, smiling at her affectionately.

"Not loopy!" Allison defended herself, still smiling. "Just...good."

Chin and her doctor smiled.

"Well I'm ," The doctor said, looking over her chart.

"But you can call her Malia," Chin added, putting his arm around her.

"Are you guys a couple?" She asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Uhm, it's complicated..." Malia answered, glancing at Chin.

Allison's eyebrows creased together as she turned to Steve.

"How come that any girl romantically tied with a member of your task force has to describe their relationship as 'complicated'?" She asked him.

"I guess it just comes with the job," He said, causing Allison to sigh and shake her head.

"I should start a support group," She muttered.

Malia smiled and checked her over quickly before putting her chart back on the end of the bed.

"You seem to be recovering really well, Ally." She informed her, making Allison's dopey grin even wider.

"Can I go home?!" She asked excitedly.

"No, unfortunately not yet." Malia informed her. "We have to keep you in for observation tonight."

Allison's smile immediately disappeared, her eyes filling with tears. Steve was shocked by the change, but assumed mood swings were just a side effect of the painkillers.

"Why?" Allison whined. "I'm fine!"

"No you're not, Ally." Steve piped up, reaching for Allison's hand. "You had some bad injuries, they have to make sure there's no complications."

"I promise there won't be!" She insisted, still fighting back tears.

"You don't know that," Steve chuckled. "You broke three ribs, narrowly missed puncturing a lung, have several spots of possibly internal bleeding and a severe concussion. You need to stay tonight, but I'll take you home as soon as they clear you, first thing in the morning."

Allison sniffled, a pout on her lips, but nodded.

"Will you," She paused, focusing her energy on scooting over to the left side of the bed. "Will you come sit with me at least?"

Steve glanced at Malia, making sure she had no arguments before smiling at Allison once again.

"Of course," He told her, climbing onto the bed, careful not to hurt her.


	23. Chapter 23

"I'm so sleepy," Allison mumbled, leaning against Steve the next afternoon as he helped her walked towards his house. "And this isn't my home."

"You're sleepy from the painkillers, babe." Steve informed her. "And I know this isn't your home, but you still need someone to take care of you and I figured staying with me would make things easier. Is that okay?" He asked, pulling his keys out of his pocket.

"Yeah," She rested her head on his shoulder as he opened the door and stumbled slightly, tripping on the doorstep as he led her inside. "Whoopsie!" She giggled.

Steve chuckled, shaking his head before gently lifting her up to carry her bridal side.

"Okay, let's get you to bed." He said as she draped her arms around his neck and he began walking to the stairs.

"Can I have a bath first?" She asked. "I feel so dirty."

"Why don't you nap first?" He suggested, noticing she could barely keep her eyes open. "Then you can have a bath when you're more awake."

"Please?" She whined. "I won't be able to sleep being all gross."

"I'm sure you'd be able to sleep just fine," He commented due to her still closed eyes. "But okay. If you really want to, you can have a bath."

"I do," Ally smiled. Steve nodded and carried her to the bathroom. "Do you have bubble bath?" She asked as he sat her on the counter and turned on the taps.

"I'm not sure. My sister might have left some around here somewhere."

"I need bubble bath." She informed him with a frown.

Steve sighed and looked through the cupboards. He found a pink bottle full labelled "Raspberry body wash & bubble bath".

"Will this do?" He held it up for her.

"Does it smell good?" She asked, not even opening her eyes to look. Steve opened the bottle and quickly sniffed it.

"Yeah, it does."

"Then its fine," She smiled.

Steve nodded and squirted some into the bath. As the bubbles began to form, Steve turned his attention back to his girlfriend.

"Okay Al, we gotta get you out of those clothes."

"Mmm," She let out a quiet moan. "I love it when you undress me."

Steve chuckled and tugged off her yoga pants first, knowing it would be less painful due to most of her injuries being on her torso. However once he had fully striped off her bottom half, he had to move to the harder part.

"This might hurt a little," He told her, gently lifting the bottom of her shirt, exposing the bruises on her stomach. "But I need to you raise your arms."

Allison cringed, but did as requested. Steve did his best to remove her shirt and bra as quickly and painlessly as possibly, cringing as well at the sight of her injuries that filled him with guilt. Once she was naked, he turned off the taps and lifted her off the counter, placing her amongst the bubbles.

She sighed happily, leaning against the back of the tub.

"This feel so good," She mumbled. "I'm so sleepy."

Steve frowned, sitting on the closed toilet next to the bath.

"I told you that you should've slept first."

Allison shook her head though, obviously fighting to keep her eyes open. Steve groaned, frustrated by her stubbornness, his frustrations only growing when she finally shut her eyes and began sliding slowly under the water.

"Whoa, hey, Ally!" He jumped up, grabbing her shoulders to pull her back above the surface.

"Ow!" She whined, glaring up at him.

"Allison, you're high out of your mind on pain killers and half asleep. You're going to drown." Steve informed her, only succeeding in making her pout.

"But the water feels so good." She muttered before using what little energy she could muster to sit up and slide forward. "There's room for two," She pointed out. "If you help me, I won't drown."

Steve stared at her for a moment, but soon realized there would be no way to argue with her in her impaired state. He stood up and watched her smile as he began to undress, knowing she was getting her way. Once he was naked as well, he climbed in the bath, carefully sitting behind her, trying not to catch any of her bruises. She leaned back against his chest, sighing happily.

"Thanks, Stevey." She smiled.

"No problem," He kissed the top of her head.

She turned her head to the side and looked at one of his tattoos.

"I really like these," She said, reaching up to trace it with her finger.

"You do?"

"Yeah," She nodded. "It makes you look so manly." She tipped her head back. "And your eyes, I really like those too. I just really like _you_," She smiled up at him.

There was something she had said on the phone that Steve was dying to ask her about and now he saw the perfect opportunity, even though he knew taking advantage of her drugged state was wrong.

"How much do you "really like" me, Ally?" He asked, looking down at her. "Because you started to say something when you called me for help and got cut off, but it sounded like you were gonna say that you loved me."

Allison grinned up at her, but shook her head.

"Nope," She said adamantly. "I was gonna say that I...loved how hard you were working to save me." She lied.

"I don't believe you," Steve smiled.

"Or maybe that I love how your voice sounds on the phone."

"I do have good phone voice, don't I?" He played along. Allison nodded.

"Or maybe I was going to say that I love how you try to take advantage of how stoned I am to get a confession out of me."

"You caught me," Steve laughed. Allison giggled and closed her eyes once again, resting her head against his chest.

Steve relaxed, enjoying the feeling of holding Ally in his arms. It was a simple thing, but after facing the terrifying possibility of never being able to do it again, he was taking time to appreciate the moment. After almost five minutes of silence, he assumed she had fallen asleep, but just as he was about to move and take her to bed, she spoke.

"I'm sorry about the fight," She told him. "I shouldn't have flirted with that guy and I know I shouldn't smoke weed."

"Shh," Steve whispered, resting his chin on her head. "You have nothing to be sorry about.

"Mhm, I do." Allison insisted. "I overreacted and shouldn't have been such a bitch."

"You weren't a bitch," Steve chuckled. "And I should have come with you. Which is why I promise I'll take you out as soon as you're better."

"Really?" She smiled.

"Yeah, you can invite all your friends and I'll drag Danny along. He could use a good time."

"Okay," Allison sighed. "But I think I'm ready for bed now," She told him.

Steve nodded and slid Allison forward a bit so he could stand up behind her and climb out. He quickly tied a towel around his waist before turning to help Ally out of the bath.

"Has anyone ever told you that you are a hottie?" She asked, wrapping the fluffy towel snugly around her shoulders.

"A few people might have mentioned it," He answered, another amused smile on his face.

"Well you are." She grinned. "My sexy Super Seal."

"Thanks," Steve slid his arm around her waist. "Now let's get you to bed."

Allison nodded and let Steve lead her out of the room.


	24. Chapter 24

Three days later, Allison was recovering well. There were still lingering headaches from her concussion and her broken ribs were still far from fixed, but she was healing right on track. However since she was starting to feel better, Steve was very careful about making her follow the doctor's orders and cut back on her painkillers. This meant that she was far less loopy than she had been a few days earlier, but she was also much more aware of every ache and throb.

"I look like a raccoon!" Allison shouted to Steve, referring to her two black eyes. She was currently in the bathroom surveying the damage, not happy with what she saw. All that was covering her was her bra and a pair of Steve's boxers, hanging low on her hips making all her bruises and cuts visible.

Steve walked in, buttoning up his cargo pants with a smile on his face.

"Well you're a very cute raccoon," He teased, kissing the side of her head.

"Hey!" Allison pouted, her hands on her hips. "That's not what you're supposed to say! You're supposed to say "Oh Ally, you don't look like a garbage eating, night creature! You look beautiful!" and make me feel better."

Steve laughed.

"You do look beautiful," He assured her. "The bruises will fade soon enough."

"I know," She sighed. "Can you help me bandage my ribs?" She asked.

"Of course," He picked it up off the counter.

Due to the fact that you can't set ribs in a cast, healing was a long and painful process, but taking the advice of her doctor, she was wearing the bandage everyday to add support and hopefully speed things up.

"Why do you always wear cargo pants?" She asked as he began to wrap the bandage around her ribs. "They do nothing for that nice little butt of yours."

Steve paused for a moment and looked up at her with a smirk.

"Well when you're a 'hottie' like me, it doesn't really matter what you wear."

Allison's cheeks got hot as he teased her for the millionth time about the comment she had made while stoned.

"Stop bringing that up," She whined. "I was high as a kite!"

"So you don't really think I'm your 'sexy super seal'?" He asked. Allison groaned and leaned forward, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You're a jerk," She pouted as he continued bandaging her up.

A few minutes later he was done and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm not a jerk," He insisted. "But you were so adorable and uncharacteristically sweet."

"I'm sweet all the time!" Allison pouted again.

Steve smiled before kissing her lips.

"I know, Ally. I'm just teasing."

"Well you should probably stop teasing me and get to work, Sailor." She said, noticing the time. "You have bad guys to catch."

"And you should probably call Macy," Steve told her, knowing that their friend had called at least four times a day since Allison was rescued.

"I still can't believe you told them," Allison sighed as another realization dawned on her. "Oh god, did you call my parents?"

"No, I don't have their number," Steve confessed much to Allison's relief.

"Good. This is definitely not something they need to know about."

"Allison, you should tell them. They'd want to know what happened and that you're okay."

Allison scoffed at Steve's chiding.

"Yeah, that's really a conversation I want to have with my parents," She said sarcastically. ""Hey guys, everything's great in Hawaii. Oh, except I got this new boyfriend who has some powerful enemies and I was kidnapped and beaten half to death last week." My father would literally come here, hunt you down and kill you."

Steve chuckled, shaking his head.

"I still think they'd want to know," He insisted.

"I'll tell them one day. When it's too far in the past for it to be a concern." She decided. "But you really need to go. You're gonna be late." She warned him.

Steve nodded, but hesitated before he left.

"Are you sure you'll be okay today?" He asked her for the millionth time. "I can leave early if you need me to take you to your doctor's appointment."

"I'll be fine," She assured him with a quick kiss. "I'll call Rachel and see if she can take me and if not, I'll take a cab."

Steve sighed, not thrilled about her back-up plan, but nodded, knowing she wasn't open to discussion on the topic.

"Okay, well let me know how it goes."

She promised she would before kissing him once more and making him leave.

After Steve was gone, Allison called Rachel to ask for a ride to her doctor's appointment. Rachel had agreed, seeming almost eager, claiming at that she too had to go to the clinic. Allison was intrigued, but couldn't weasel any answers out of her friend and gave up, knowing it would be easier in person.

She still had almost an hour to kill so she decided to take Steve's advice and finally face Macy, feeling slightly guilty for not answering her calls sooner.

"Allison!" She answered on the first ring. "Finally! I've been calling you constantly for three days now."

"I know, I'm sorry." Allison said, genuinely. "But I've been on strong doses of pain killers so I've been a little high."

"That's fine. I'm just glad you're okay. I've been so worried."

"I told Steve he shouldn't have called you, but he claimed it was the right thing to do."

"It was!" Macy insisted. "I would've killed him if he hadn't."

Allison laughed, knowing her friend wasn't exaggerating.

"I bet you would have," She agreed. "But anyway, I'm fine. Just a little sore...and confused."

"Confused? About what?"

Allison sighed, not sure if she really wanted to explain or even really knew where to begin. However, she felt bad for always making Rachel her therapist and knew Macy was fairly well experienced on the love front.

"Steve," She admitted. "And my feelings towards him."

"I'm gonna need more than that if you want me to help you out, babe."

"I think I love him."

Macy squealed, obviously excited by the news.

"That's so cute, Allison. You guys are so perfect together."

"No, it's not 'cute'," Allison said. "And we're far from perfect. We fight all the time because we know how to push each other's buttons."

"That happens in a lot of couples," Macy assured her. "But arguing is a good thing because you get out all the issues."

"Fair enough, but in most relationships one person's life isn't usually in danger. That's hardly 'perfect'." Allison pointed out.

"But that doesn't mean you can't love him."

"Well I don't know if I do," Allison clarified. "But when I was kidnapped and I called him and while he was taking care of me, I felt...something. I don't know how else I can describe it other than love."

"Then what's the problem?" Macy asked, being patient due to the fact that she knew her friend was still slightly hopped up on medication.

"What if I don't really love him? What if it's just that I feel like I should?" Allison asked. "Like, I know he loves me so what if I just feel like I love him out of gratitude for saving my life? Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, it does." Macy said. "But from my experience, you'd know if it was love."

Allison was quiet for a moment, mulling over what her friend had told her.

"Well I really, really like him." Allison informed her. "A whole lot. He makes me really happy and things are so easy between us."

"Sounds to me like you love him," Macy's smile was obvious in her voice. "Just talk to him, tell him how you feel."

"I can't love him." Allison decided, after staying quiet for a few moments.

"Why not?"

"After everything he did to me before," Allison said, basically just thinking out loud. "He hurt me so bad and I can forgive him, sure, but love? I just don't know about that."

"He just saved your life, Ally. I think he's redeemed himself."

"But he was also the reason my life was in danger in the first place." Allison pointed out.

"You're too stubborn for your own good," Macy sighed.

"I'm not stubborn, I'm sensible!" Allison insisted. "I think I'll just keep it to myself. He doesn't need to know, what would he gain?"

"A sense of security? If you love him, he deserves to know."

Allison held out a little longer, still unsure about what would be best, but after at least forty-five minutes of convincing, she agreed to "be open" and talk things through with Steve. However, the conversation had taken much longer than she had anticipated and as soon as she got off the phone, Rachel knocked on the door. Allison sighed, took her next dose of pain medication and pushed Steve out of her mind, deciding to focus on her health for the time being.


	25. Chapter 25

"So, Rachel," Allison started as they waited in the waiting room. "What brings you to the clinic today?"

"Helping out a friend," Rachel replied as if it was obvious.

"That's not the only reason!" Allison said knowingly. "You said you had to come here today too."

Rachel shifted uncomfortablely, a hand drifting to her lower stomach.

"I think I'm pregnant," She admitted quietly.

Allison stared at her, wide eyed.

"Is it Danny's?" She asked. Simply based of Rachel's reaction, casting her eyes down in what seemed like shame, Allison knew the answer. "Oh my god, Rachel. Congratulations, but holy shit!"

"I wouldn't congratulate me yet," Rachel's voice was still quiet. "You're the only one that knows and I can't imagine anyone else will be pleased..."

"Well Stan won't be, that's for sure." Allison agreed. "But Danny will. Just look at how he is with Grace."

"I know," Rachel nodded. "But what will I do about Stan? He's my husband..."

"Well a good friend told me not too long ago that when it comes to love you have just throw yourself into it and hope for the best," Allison quoted something Rachel had told her. "It seems like you're gonna have to do the same thing. And I think this is a good thing. Danny will be ecstatic and you two will end up with your happily ever after."

Rachel stared at her, obviously not so convinced.

"I think the drugs are clouding your brain a little, Allison." She decided a few minutes later.

"Yeah, they probably are." Allison admitted with a smile. "But I still don't think you have to worry about anything."

Rachel wasn't convinced, but Allison's name was called before she could argue.

Allison came out of her doctor's appointment with good and bad news. Her concussion was healing perfectly well and her ribs seemed to be on track as well. However now that most of the swelling from her stomach bruises had gone down, it was obvious that something else was wrong due to the slight swelling that remained on her left side. After closer inspection, the doctor had decided that when her bottom two ribs broke, her spleen must've been lacerated. Since it hadn't caused her any severe problems, the doctor assured her they probably wouldn't need to do surgery, she simply had to come back in three days to make sure it wasn't worse than it seemed. She was also given a prescription for antibiotics due to the high risk of infection.

Slightly disappointed by the new setback, Allison slumped in a chair a frown on her face as she waited for Rachel.

"What's wrong?" She heard a familiar voice with a British accent ask a few moments later.

"Oh, I didn't see you come in," Allison looked up. "Nothing's wrong. Well, I mean other than a slightly lacerated spleen and possible infection, I'm doing just as well as could be expected."

"Oh, honey. I'm sorry." Rachel said as Allison got out of the chair and shrugged.

"No big deal. I'm kind of lucky to be alive, right?" Allison said, trying to stay positive. "Anyway, what about you?"

"I'm pregnant," She confirmed.

Despite the worry on Rachel's face, Allison smiled and pulled her into a hug.

"Congratulations," She said sincerely. "And don't worry, I'm sure everything will work out."

"I hope so," Rachel sighed, as they started walking towards the parking lot. When they got to the car, she noticed the prescription that Allison was holding. "Do you want me to take you a pharmacy?" She asked, but Allison shook her head.

"Nah, that's fine. You have your own problems. I can just get Steve to take me tomorrow." Allison assured her. "But thanks anyway."

Rachel nodded and took Allison back to Steve's.

That night, Allison stayed up as late as she could waiting for Steve to come home. However when she woke up the next morning, still on the couch where she had passed out the night before, she realized Steve must have been at work all night. It wasn't unusual for him to pull an all-nighter, especially if they were working on an important case, but he always called first if he knew Allison was waiting and after checking her phone she found no missed calls, just as she expected.

Dragging herself off the couch, her already sore body hating her for her less than comfortable sleeping arrangements, she stumbled to the kitchen to find her painkillers. After popping a few and putting on the coffee maker, she dialed Steve's number. Unsurprisingly, it went straight to voicemail.

"Hey Steve, it's me," She said, leaving a message. "Just wondering if you're gonna be home anytime soon? I got some kinda bad news yesterday and was hoping you could take me to fill a prescription. Anyway, hope everything's good and call me as soon as you get this."

She hung up and headed back to the couch, hoping the painkillers would kick in soon.

Three hours later, Allison still hadn't heard anything from Steve and after calling him a dozen more times with no success, she was beginning to get concerned. Chewing her lip nervously, she dialed the number of the one person who would know exactly where Steve was and prayed that she was just being a paranoid, clingy girlfriend.

"Detective Williams," Danny answered.

"Danny, it's Allison," She said, thankful that she finally managed to get through to someone. "Where's Steve? I've been calling him all day and he hasn't answered any of my calls."

"Yeah," Danny sighed. "I'm not surprised."

"What?"

"Steve was arrested last night," Danny informed her, leaving her quiet and stunned.

"Why?" She asked, after she'd processed what he'd said.

"For killing the governor of Hawaii." As the word's Danny's mouth, Allison's jaw dropped and her phone fell from her hand, ending the call.


	26. Chapter 26

Allison spent at least an hour in shock. She sat on Steve's couch, staring down at her phone trying to make sense of Danny's words. But she couldn't. Why would Steve kill his boss? What was going to happen to him now? How would be survive in jail?

She was broken out of her thoughts by a knock on the door. Still in a daze, she slowly got off the couch and walked over to the door,

"Danny? What are you doing here?" She asked. "Shouldn't you be helping Steve?"

Danny put his hand on her shoulder, steering her back to the couch.

"Yes and I'm working on that, but at the moment there isn't much I can do," He said. "And I'm helping Steve by making sure that you don't have some kind of mental breakdown over this."

"What do you mean there isn't much you can do?" Allison fought back tears. "You have Five-0, you can do whatever you want!"

"There's no more Five-0," Danny informed her. "Steve's in jail for murdering the governor, Kono was arrested for stealing money and Chin went running back to HPD. There's just me now."

"But he didn't do it, did he?"

"I don't know what happened," Danny admitted. "But Steve claims that it was Wo Fat and I believe him."

"Me too," Allison agreed quietly.

"Is there anything you need?" Danny asked, knowing she was still in rough shape from being kidnapped.

Allison began shaking her head, but stopped.

"Yes, actually." She told him. "I have a prescription I need to fill."

"Ah, right. The lacerated spleen." Danny said, standing up before helping her to do the same.

"So you've talked to Rachel?" Allison asked. Danny nodded. "And?"

"And she's currently in Newark with Grace probably furious that I missed our flight."

"You guys are getting back together?" Allison smiled as he helped her into his car. He sighed before going around to get in the driver's seat.

"That was the plan. I'm hoping she'll understand, but she's not taking my calls."

"She will soon," Allison assured him. "You guys deserve your happy ending."

"I'm not so sure," Danny admitted. "I think I might've blown my only second chance."

Hearing how sad Danny sounded brought tears to her eyes. She looked out the window, trying to hide her emotions.

"Everything's all messed up." She choked out.

Danny looked over, realizing how she was upset.

"Hey, hey, hey. Why are you crying?" He asked as they stopped at a red light. "This isn't the Allison I know. The Allison I know mouths of to bad guys while they're in the middle of giving her a beating, she doesn't cry over the pathetic failed romance of some crazy detective."

Allison managed to giggle and nodded.

"I know. I think it's the pain killers." She confessed. "But I'm just so overwhelmed. Steve's in _jail_ and because of that your relationship might be over and I'm all alone at a time when I'm hardly capable of taking care of myself."

"Rachel and I will figure things out," He promised. "We always do. And you're not alone. You've got me and due to the many times Steve's gotten himself hurt, I'm pretty good at taking care of the wounded."

Allison giggled again, grateful for Danny's support.

"Okay, thanks." She said, wiping her eyes. "Can we go see Steve after we get my medication?"

"No can do, babe," Danny confessed, knowing it would upset her again. "Steve gave me strict instructions not to let you see him in jail."

"And you're going to listen to him?!" Allison asked, filled with a sudden sense of outrage. "What if he's in there for the rest of his life?"

"I won't let that happen, Ally." He promised. "And I have help. Joe White, the man who taught Steve everything he knows, has flownin. He knew Steve's dad too, so this is personal for him as well and he will do everything he can – which is a lot – to help Steve."

Allison sighed, knowing that there was nothing she could do to convince him.

"Can you at least promise me that you'll let me know as soon as anything happens?" Danny nodded. "I mean anything at all. Even the bad things that you, or Steve, don't think I can handle knowing."

"I promise," Danny insisted.

Allison leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes as Danny pulled into the parking lot of the nearest pharmacy.

"Do you think if I up my pain killer dosage again it'll make my heart feel better?" She asked him quietly.

Danny chuckled, but shook his head.

"If it was that easy, everyone would be doing it." He replied as he opened his door. "And Super Seal would have my head if he got out of jail only to find his girlfriend addicted to pain killers so do us both a favour and medicate like the rest of us."

"How's that?"

"With alcohol."

Allison giggled and waited as he came around the front of the car to help her out.

"I'm not allowed alcohol while on my medication," Allison told him, pouting slightly.

"Rough break," Danny smiled, leading her towards the building. "Looks like you're just gonna have to be a big girl then. Tough things out until we can prove that Steve didn't fire the gun that killed the governor."

"I'll do my best," Allison nodded, feeling a little guilty for taking up so much of Danny's valuable time. She knew that he wouldn't listen if she told him to leave her and get back to work though and she also knew that Steve probably wouldn't mind sitting in jail for a few extra hours if it meant getting Allison the anti-biotics she needed.

As Allison and Danny waited the thirty minutes it would take for her prescription, Danny's phone rang. He excused himself, taking the call outside and when he came back he was obviously upset about something. Allison jumped up, filled with anxiety, a feeling that was quickly becoming far too familiar to her.

"What? What's wrong?" She asked.

"Uh..." Danny shifted uncomfortably, obvious not sure how to break whatever bad news he just received.

"Daniel, you promised to tell me everything you find out!"

"I know I did and now I wish I kept my mouth shut," Danny admitted, only frustrating the poor, injured woman even more.

"What happened to Steve?" She growled, assuming that was why Danny was upset.

"He was stabbed." Danny caved, knowing she'd get it out of him sooner or later.

"Holy shit!" The words had left Allison's mouth before she had time to think about it and from the unimpressed looks from the surrounding parents, she had spoken quite loudly. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Is he going to be okay? Of course he's going to be okay!"Danny assured her, hoping to ease her panic. "But I think you need to calm down, babe. Increased blood flow can't be good for that lacerated spleen of yours."

"My boyfriend just got shanked in prison. How can I be calm right now?!" Allison cracked her knuckles, a nervous habit, as Danny put a hand on her shoulder.

"He'll be fine. This is the Super Seal we're talking about. He's always fine." He promised her. "I'll have to go with Chin to talk to the guy who did this, but then you know what I'm gonna do?"

"What?"

"I'm gonna take you to the hospital to see him."

"But I thought he said he didn't want me to see him?"

"He said he didn't want you to see him in _jail_," Danny clarified. "Handcuffed to a hospital bed is technically not the same thing."

"Thank you, Danny." Allison said, taking a deep breath to try and slow her frantic heartbeat. "You're a great friend. Steve's lucky to have you even if he'll never admit it.

Before Danny could respond, no doubt with one of his sarcastic comments, the pharmacist informed her that her prescription was ready. She quickly paid for it before following Danny to his car.


	27. Chapter 27

It was almost four hours before Allison heard anything from Danny and even then it wasn't exactly news she wanted to hear. The detective had called to inform her that Steve had escaped from the ambulance transporting him from jail to a hospital and was currently hiding out in the back of Kamekona's shave ice hut. Danny assured her it was fine for her to stop by, but regretfully informed her that he would not be able to pick her up due to the fact that Steve would never approve of her getting involved.

Allison, however, was not deterred by this and despite her current state and still slightly cloudy mind, she got on the next bus she could, desperate to see for herself that Steve was okay.

The ride there was painful to say the least. Emotionally, she was worried about Steve and anxious to see him and physically, every little bump or jerk reminded her just how far she was from being completely healed. Once she arrived, she rushed over to the window where Kamekona was standing.

"Hey Kamekona," She smiled, ignoring the surprise on his face. "I'll take a large of whatever flavour you recommend."

"Steve's not gonna be happy to see you here." Kamekona informed her as he set to work filling her order.

"Yeah, well that's too bad."Allison said with a shrug. "How much do I owe you?"

"For you, pretty lady? Nothing. I'll just add it to Steve's tab."

Allison smiled again, thanking him quickly as she took the cone from Kamekona and headed into the back as if she was simply going to use the washroom.

When she walked into the room where Steve was hiding, he was the first thing she saw. For the most part, he looked fine. He was a little pale and his stubble was slightly thicker than normal, but considering he had just been stabbed and managed to escape from custody, he looked better than Allison had expected and relief washed over her.

Before Steve even had time to register that she was there, Allison had thrust her shave ice into Danny's hand and marched over to Steve, throwing her arms around his neck.

"You are an idiot," She told him, squeezing him as tight as she could without hurting herself or him. "You have got to be the stupidest person I know."

"What are you doing here, Allison?" Steve said, shocked.

"A little birdy has been keeping me updated on you and did you really think I was going to stay away?" She pulled back slightly to place a kiss on his lips. "God, I might have to kill you," She muttered. "Before you and this unhealthy relationship kill me."

"You shouldn't have come here, Ally," Steve chastised. "It's dangerous. I'm a fugitive."

"If you think I'm going anywhere you're crazier than I thought." She rested her forehead against his. "You saved my life not even a week ago, the least I can do is stick with you through this."

Steve sighed, knowing she wasn't going to give up.

"Fine, but if anything happens you will do exactly what I tell you to, okay?"

Allison nodded and quickly kissed him once more before turning her attention to the other people in the room. Danny was by the door, still holding her shave ice and sitting next to Chin. On the other side of the room was a man that Allison didn't recognize.

"I don't think we've met. I'm Allison," She introduced herself, reaching to shake his hand.

"Joe White," He said, returning the gesture.

"Just for the record, I don't usually storm into rooms like a crazy person...and I don't usually look like I've just gotten in a bar fight either." Allison explained, suddenly rather embarrassed by her appearance.

"Well if what I've heard is true, you're lucky to be alive," Joe told her. "Most people who tangle with Wo Fat have a much different fate."

"She's a fighter," Steve said proudly as she sat down beside him. "She gave them hell the whole time."

"Good," Joe smiled. "You need someone who can keep you in line."

"Well apparently even I can't control this one," Allison said, putting her hand on Steve's thigh. "What the hell happened anyway? Why does everyone think you killed the governor?"

"It's a long story," Steve shrugged, obviously not wanting to explain.

"I don't have any plans and you can't go anywhere," Allison pointed out. "We have all the time in the world."

"Maybe not," An unfamiliar voice piped up. Allison turned towards the door and saw a young woman with a shave ice in her hand. "Jenna Kaye," She quickly introduced herself before placing a key on the table and continuing. "It's the locker key from your father's toolbox. Based on Mokoto's intel I traced it to the airport on Molokai."

Steve stood up, obviously intrigued by this news.

"That's where your father hid the evidence," Joe informed him.

"Then that's where I need to go." Steve decided.

"You're fucking kidding me, right?" Allison asked, standing up as well. She winced slightly, her body once again reminding her to move slowly. "You said yourself that you're a fugitive. What if someone sees you?"

"I'll wear a disguise," Steve shrugged, grabbing a hat and a pair of sunglasses off the table.

"Oh wow," Allison feigned amazement as he put them on. "You look completely different!"

"Allison, I have to do this." Steve insisted.

"It's the only way to clear his name," Joe agreed.

Allison sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to stop him.

"Fine," She muttered. "But if you get caught I won't be coming for any conjugal visits."

Steve smiled and kissed the top of her head before leaving with Danny.

* * *

**Author's note: I know this one is kind of short, but I wrote a reeeeally long chapter and decided to split it into two. I'll post the second half when I get home from work :)**


	28. Chapter 28

"So," Joe started as Allison ate her shave ice a few minutes after the other men had left. "You and Steve?"

Allison smiled and nodded as she swallowed.

"Yeah,"

"It seems pretty serious," He observed.

"I guess so," Allison replied, mulling it over. "We kind of had a thing a while back that didn't end so well so we kind of just picked up where that left off."

Not really knowing how close Steve and this man were made the conversation a little awkward for Allison. She didn't know how much he knew about their relationship, even though his knowledge appeared to be limited, and she also didn't know how much Steve would want him to know.

"Well from what I've heard you seem like a strong girl," Joe commented. "And Steve really does need that. I know his parents would be relieved to know he found someone who can compete with his intense work ethic."

"You knew his parents?" Allison asked

"Very well," Joe nodded. "I knew them from when Steve was a young boy and his father was one of my closest friends. Steve's the closest thing I have to a son."

It comforted Allison to know that Joe obviously cared about Steve more than just as his training officer. She could tell in the short time she had seen them together that Steve respected Joe and she was starting to get some hope that Steve might actually get out of this situation.

The two chatted a little longer before Danny and Steve marched back into the office, seemingly empty handed.

"What happened? Where's the evidence?" Allison asked after breathing a sigh of relief at the fact that they hadn't been caught.

"Right here," Steve said holding up a tiny memory card, probable from a camera.

Chin walked in a few moments later with a laptop that they'd obviously requested that he bring. They all crowded around it eagerly as he turned it on and inserted the card.

"It looks like someone set up a hidden camera," Chin noted as a video popped up on the screen.

"Wait a minute, that's the governor's study," Steve realized.

"Yeah, looks like it." Chin agreed.

A man walked onto the screen, his back towards the camera.

"Who's this guy?" Danny asked, a question that Allison was also wondering. Steve leaned a bit closer and she felt his grip tighten slightly on her hand as the man turned, his face now visible.

"That's my father," He informed them.

Allison squeezed his hand back, knowing this must be hard for him. Joe, however, knew there was no time for emotions.

"This camera, what if it's still there?" He asked, coaxing another realization out of Steve.

"If that's the case, then the governor's murder may have been captured on video," Steve concluded.

As Danny and Chin sprung into action, leaving the safe house to find the camera, Allison was filled with another sense of hope, one that she knew was shared by Steve. Finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, Allison's exhaustion was beginning to catch up with her. The pain medication was still making her sleepy, even in the smaller dosage, and the stress of the last twenty four hours had completely drained all the energy she had left. Because of this, she curled up on a chair next to Steve and as Joe laughed with Steve about Kamekona's plans for a new shrimp truck she drifted off to sleep.

Allison woke up, shortly after falling asleep, to the sound of sirens. Kamekona was now standing in the door and Steve had leapt out of his chair and was peering out the window.

"McGarrett!" A voice called from outside. "We have the building surrounded. Come out with your hands up."

Allison stood up as well, her earlier feeling of hope replaced by one of pure panic. Knowing Steve didn't need to babysit her at the moment though, she kept her emotions hidden, praying he wouldn't do anything stupid.

"What do you want to do?" Joe asked.

"Yeah, brah." Kamekona agreed. "Just give us the word."

Steve glanced out the window before quickly looking back at Ally.

"I'm with you one hundred percent, Steve." She assured him. "Do whatever you need to do,"

Despite how hard she was trying to be strong, Steve could see the tears glistening in her eyes. However, he simply nodded before walking past the two men and out the door. Eager to see his plan, the group followed.

"Down, down! On your knees now!" The officer that had spoken earlier demanded as Steve raised his hands and slowly began to lower himself onto his knees. "Lock him up!" He instructed a nearby officer. "And I want those three arrested for harbouring a fugitive."

"Listen to me man," Steve said, jumping to their defense. "They had nothing to do with this, okay? I forced them to help you, you understand? They had nothing to do with this."

Allison drifted behind Joe slightly, subconsciously trying to protect herself in case things went from bad to worse. However, before there was time for anything to happen, Danny and Chin sped into the parking lot.

"Hey! Let him go," Danny said calmly as he marched over.

"You heard the man," Chin added. "Get the cuffs off him."

Allison watched wide eyed as the new governor himself walked over and informed the detective that he had the wrong man. As they all turned and headed inside to view the evidence that would clear Steve's name, Allison ran towards Steve before throwing her arms around his shoulders. They both winced in pain, but she didn't care.

"Thank god," She muttered. "Fuck, can't we ever just have a relaxing day at the beach?"

Despite everything that had just happened, Steve chuckled.

"I'll take you to the beach as soon as this is all over," He whispered in her ear, not wanting their little moment to be shared with everyone. "But for now I'm going to need an officer to escort Allison home." He was talking half to her and half to the many officers standing around.

"What? No way, Steven." Allison protested.

"Yes, Ally." Steve's voice was firm. "I just have to get this cleared up and then I'll be home. But you're still sick and you need to go and rest, stress free."

Allison sighed, glaring at him as she realized she wasn't going to win.

"I don't think 'stress free' is an option for me anymore." She informed him. "At least not with you in my life."

With that, Allison turned to the officer who had stepped up to fill Steve's request, resigning herself to the fact that this was one argument she wasn't going to win.


	29. Chapter 29

"Wow, so is Danny okay?" Allison asked as Steve updated her about Rachel and the baby.

After the big misunderstanding, Steve was offered time off to recover mentally and physically, but as everyone knew he would, he refused. He claimed that even with time off he wouldn't be able to relax knowing Wo Fat was still out there after all he'd done. Allison knew this was true so other than requesting he at least try to take it easy she let the subject drop.

Now, almost a week later, Steve had finally decided to take a day off to spend some time with Allison. They were currently cuddled up on Steve's couch as they caught up.

"He's trying to seem fine, but I think he's taking it pretty hard." Steve confessed.

"Poor guy," Allison mumbled, playing with Steve's fingers as she held his hand. "That's gotta be rough. If Rachel's back in Hawaii I'll call her up and get the scoop soon."

"Good," Steve nodded. "I don't like that you're here alone all the time."

"Well I'll be going back to work as soon as the doctor clears up the whole spleen issue," She reminded him. "But I do need some girl time. You know where I can gossip about our relationship and brag about your chiseled abs."

Steve laughed at Allison's little joke, putting a smile on her face.

"I've missed hearing you laugh," She admitted.

"What? I laugh all the time." Steve insisted.

"Not really. And I don't know. It seems like with everything that's gone one lately, it's been a long time since I've seen you happy and relaxed."

Steve smiled, pulling her closer.

"I'm always happy when I'm with you," He promised, nuzzling his face into her hair. "I love you."

Allison felt her stomach tighten, realizing this was the moment she had prepared for all week. After talking to Macy on the phone, she had thought long and hard about Steve and how she felt towards him. And even despite the slight haze she felt from the pain killers she was still weaning herself off of, it didn't take her long to figure out that she loved him.

"I..." She trailed off, choking at the last minute. "Know you do."

As Steve's grip loosened, she could tell her response had displeased him.

"That's not really want I wanted to hear," Steve admitted.

"I know that," Allison sighed. "But I guess I'm just not ready to say it yet and that's not my fault."

"But why?" Steve asked, his persistance causing Allison to move out of his arms completely. She scooted to the other end of the couch, staring at him with a look of angry disbelief, but before she could answer, he continued. "I put myself out there every time I say that and something in return would be nice for once!"

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Allison avoided his question. "Why are you bring this up now? It's never bothered you before!"

"Just because I don't show it, doesn't mean it doesn't bother me, Allison." Steve confessed. "And I just thought that after everything we've been through in the last couple weeks that you'd feel the same by now."

"But everything that's happened is the problem, Steven!" Allison informed him. "I have feelings for you. Very strong feelings. But what if I'm just swept up in the whole idea that you rescued me? I don't want to tell you that I love you if I only feel that way because I'm mistaking it for some sense of gratitude or something! Because once I say it, I can't take it back. I can't just change my mind and tell you that even though I still have feelings you and want to be with, it turns out I don't actually love you. That would hurt you more, Steven. Saying those words is a big deal to me!" As Allison ranted, her voice got progressive louder as she got more and more worked up, Steve's blank stare only adding to her frustration.

"It's a big deal to me too," He assured her. "But I think you're over thinking things way too much."

Allison got off the couch as quickly as she could without hurting herself, offended by Steve's accusation.

"I am not over thinking anything!" She snapped at him. "We're just...moving way too fast!"

"What?" Steve's facial expression revealed how confused he was. "Where did that coming from?"

"Look at us, Steve! We've been together, what? Like a month and a half? And I'm living with you." Allison gestured wildly as she spoke which, despite the seriousness of her tone, put a smile on Steve's face. "And you can't even argue that I'm here so you can take care of me because we both know I don't need that anymore. Throwing 'I love you's' into this whole thing? I just can't do it right now!"

The smile fell from Steve's face as he realized the potential outcome of Allison's words.

"Then I'm sorry for getting upset," He apologized, staying calm.

"I just think that really..." Allison trailed off shaking her head and without another look at Steve, headed upstairs.

Steve let her go, assuming she just needed some time to herself, something that he also felt he could benefit from as he tried to process what had just happened and how things had escalated so quickly. However, as she came back down the stairs, carrying a bag that Steve guessed had all her things in, he realized it was more serious than he had thought.

"Where are you going, Allison?" He asked, getting off the couch and walking towards her.

"Home," She replied simply as she opened the door and walked out.

"Hey, wait!" He protested, following her. "Let's just calm down and talk about this."

"I am calm," She insisted, still walking away from him. "And I don't want to talk."

"You're not calm!" Steve objected. "You're being completely irrational! Where is any of this coming from?!"

"I am not being irrational." Allison said through gritted teeth, turning to face him. "Why do you think you have the right to pressure me into saying 'I love you'? After everything you did to me, you're surprised that I'm struggling with my feelings towards you?!"

Steve frowned, caught off guard by her comment.

"I thought you said you were letting that go?"

"I have!" Allison insisted. "I never bring it up and I don't hold it against you, but it still happened, Steven! And when I think about how I feel towards you, there's still a part of me that just feels like an idiot for letting you win me over again!"

"So that's what this is about," Steve clarified. "Your pride is getting in the way."

"It's not my pride," Allison's tone shifted from one of anger to one that was much more vulnerable, catching Steve by surprise once again. "It's my heart. You burned me once and it doesn't want to let that happen again."

"So, what? After all this you've changed your mind?" Steve asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"No." Allison assured him. "I want to be with you, but I need space. I'm gonna go home for a while. I'll call you."

Steve nodded despite his lack of enthusiasm over her decision and watched as she spun on her heels and continued to walk away.


	30. Chapter 30

Allison was a wreck. It had been four days since she blew up at Steve and she still hadn't called him despite her promise that she would. After the first two days of silence, Steve had called repeatedly, but she ignored him every time and he eventually gave up.

With no job to keep her mind busy and her still sore ribs preventing her from really going anywhere, Allison was getting a little stir crazy. She desperately wanted to talk things over with someone, clear her mind and figure things out, but Rachel had her own problems at the moment and Macy's reaction would probably just create Allison more stress. She had known for a few days now that the person she needed to talk to was the person she had fought with, but there was something holding her back.

And that something was her pride. As she thought back to their argument it became very clear to her that she had overreacted slightly. She was still upset by what Steve had done and said, but she was quickly realizing that she had been rather dramatic about the whole situation, blowing things slightly out of proportion. Because of this, facing Steve felt like a far more daunting and embarrassing task.

However, Allison knew that the longer she waited, the harder it would be so she came up with a plan that she hoped would ease the tension slightly.

"I brought lunch!" Allison smiled, greeting the team as they walked back into Five-0 headquarters after a case.

Steve stopped in the doorway, obviously surprised, but Danny ran over to the pizza box in her hands.

"There better not be any pineapple on this," He warned her.

"Would I do that to you?" She asked, handing him the box and turning towards an unfamiliar blonde woman. "I'm Allison,"

"Lori," The woman smiled, shaking her hand.

"Are you replacing Kono?" Allison asked, surprised Steve would find a replacement instead of helping to clear Kono's name.

"No, no, of course not." Lori assured her. "The governor just assigned me to help out for a while."

"I believe the word you used was 'babysit'." Steve piped up, reminding Allison of his presence. "Can we talk in my office please, Allison?"

Allison nodded and followed him.

"The new girl seems nice," She muttered, trying to break the awkward silence that had filled the room once Steve had closed the door.

"She is," Steve agreed. The silence settled between them again as Allison tried to figure out what to say. Steve, however, quickly grew impatient. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to apologize," Allison admitted, studying the floor of his office to avoid eye contact.

"For what?"

"Not for not being able to say what you want to hear," She clarified. "But for reacting in a slightly psychotic manner and storming out of your house."

Steve was quiet for a moment before he chuckled.

"You were a little crazy," He agreed.

"It was kind of justified though!" Allison defended herself. "You cornered me and I panicked."

"I didn't corner you," Steve denied.

"Well it felt like it!" She argued causing Steve to sigh.

"Did you just come here to pick another fight, Allison? Because while I'm at work really isn't a good time."

Allison's jaw clenched and she crossed her arms, fighting to keep calm in spite of his accusations.

"No. I came here to apologize." She repeated, through clenched teeth. "But I'm beginning to regret that more and more the longer I stand here."

Steve took a deep breath, fighting back a snotty response of his own. Instead, he decided to take the high road since she had made the effort to come down here and try and fix things in the first place.

Taking Allison by surprise, Steve moved from where he was leaning against his desk and wordlessly wrapped his arms around her. She froze for a moment before allowing herself to slip her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest.

"What are you doing?" She asked quietly, struggling to seem annoyed still.

"I'm sorry too," He admitted. "I don't care if you can't say that you love me at the moment. It's just been such a crazy couple of weeks and at the time, I wanted to hear it. But I understand and didn't mean to pressure you."

"It's okay," Allison assured him. They just stayed like that, enjoying each other's embrace for a few minutes before she spoke again. "I do really, really care about you though."

"Hm," Steve said, moving back slightly to look down at his girlfriend. "Don't some people use 'love' as a word to describe "really, really care about"?"

"Steve," Allison warned. "I thought you just said you didn't care if I couldn't say it?"

"I don't!" He promised. "I was just stating a fact. I mean, it's true, isn't it?"

"I suppose so, yeah." Allison played along.

"So some might say that you do in fact love me, right?"

Allison buried her head in his chest, hoping to muffle her response and hide her pink cheeks.

"Yes."

Steve grinned, hearing the word leave her mouth. He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head, burying his face in her hair.

"Say it, Ally." He whispered. "Please."

He could feel Allison shift uncomfortably before she took a deep breath.

"I love you," Her words were quiet, but Steve heard them loud and clear.

"I love you too,"

Allison pulled her head away from Steve's chest, a smile on her face, before stretching up to press her lips against his. However when she moved to pull away a moment later, he held her steady. She felt his tongue against her lips and complied with his silent request by parting them slightly. Steve seized his opportunity, deepening the kiss as she moved her arms up around his neck.

"Wow, that was...wow." Allison said once they parted, breathing heavily. "Maybe sexual frustration has something to do with all the tension."

Steve pulled her close, making her aware of just how frustrated he was.

"It has been a while," He pointed out.

"Why don't you come over to my place tonight?" She offered, playing with the hairs on the back of his neck.

"If it wasn't for all the windows in my office, I'd take you right now," He growled in her ear sending shivers down her spine.

Suddenly aware that it was a lot quieter around them than it had been earlier, she turned around. The empty office confirmed her suspicious.

"Well, Sailor it looks like we're the only ones here..."

As she spoke, she moved towards his desk before lifting herself up and perching on the edge. Steve followed, standing between her legs and placing his hand on her cheek.

"We can't Ally," He told her much to his own disappointment. "Your ribs still aren't healed. I don't want to hurt you,"

Allison pulled his head down to kiss him softly.

"I'm not made of glass, Steve. I'll be fine." She assured him, her voice low and sultry. "I want this. I need this."

Steve groaned and gave in as he quickly covered her mouth with his own. However, as he felt Allison's hands move to his belt he pulled away.

"I'll be right back." He muttered before running out of his office leaving Allison on top of his desk feeling rather hot and bothered. He reappeared not even a minute later. "There, now we won't be disturbed."

"You locked them out?" She giggled. Steve nodded, returning to his spot between her legs.

"They all have a key, but I'm assuming that they'll take the hint when they see the doors locked." He explained.

"Good," Allison pressed her lips against his, not wanting to waste anymore time.

Steve was obviously on the same page as he moved his hands to her pants, undoing them in record time. As he continued kissing her, Allison felt his hand slip into her panties and gasped when his fingers gently teased her clit. The sharp intake of breath did cause her some discomfort, but the pleasure she felt was motivation enough for her to hide it well. Encouraged by her quickening breath, Steve moved his hand and carefully slid two fingers inside. Allison moaned against his mouth, slowly rocking her hips against his hand. A few minutes later Steve changed his angle slightly, finally connecting with just the right spot. Allison gasped again and buried her face in his neck to stifle her moans. Steve smiled, pleased with himself, and picked up the pace causing Allison to bite down hard as she came.

"Holy shit," She muttered, coming down from her high.

"That's gonna leave a mark, isn't it?" Steve asked, referring to his neck.

"Probably," Allison giggled, moving her hands to his belt. "But we can deal with that later. We should deal with this now,"

"And how do you plan to do that?" Steve smirked as Allison pushed down his cargo pants and boxers.

She pushed him back slightly and hopped off the desk, pushing her own pants and panties down as well before turning around and bending over the desk.

"I'll let you figure that one out, Sailor." She purred.

Steve needed no more of an invitation and moved forward before sliding himself inside her in one swift movement. Allison moaned, holding onto the desk for support as he began slowly thrusting. The position made it incredibly easy for Steve to once again find all the right places and since Allison was still feeling sensitive from her last orgasm, she could already feel another one building. As she pressed back against Steve, she could tell he was getting close as well. His breathing was getting heavier and his thrusts more frantic.

"Oh Steve," She moaned, hoping to encourage him even more.

He grinned and reached around to once again find tease her clit as he leaned forward, pressing his chest against her back.

"So close," She heard him muttered under his breath. Knowing he was only holding out to make it better for her, she decided to take the pressure off.

"I want to," Allison paused, her breath catching in her throat as he thrust inside her. "I want to feel you come."

It seemed that was all Steve needed to hear and she felt him finally lose control. The sensation was too much for Allison and she felt her second orgasm hit her as well.

After taking a few minutes to catch his breath, Steve pulled out and Allison stood up. Due to the fact that Steve still seemed to be a slight post-sex haze, she was able to hide the pain she was feeling as her ribs angrily protested being slammed repeatedly against a hard surface while still broken. She quickly wriggled her pants back into place and smoothed out her hair before placing a soft kiss on Steve's lips.

"So my place tonight?" She asked.

Steve chuckled, shaking his head.

"You really are something else, Ally." He told her. "But sure. I'll stop by around seven thirty."

"Okay," Allison smiled, heading to the door. "Have a good afternoon."

"I love you!" Steve called after her, testing the waters to see her response. Much to his delight, she turned around with a smile on her face.

"I love you too." Her words for quiet and she sounded slightly unsure, but it was progress and that was good enough for Steve.


	31. Chapter 31

A couple of weeks passed and things were still going well for Allison and Steve. Allison was slowly becoming more comfortable saying 'I love you' and Steve was careful not to pressure her, not wanting to cause another incident. They made sure they had time to see each other at least twice a week, but usually ended up seeing each other more than that anyway unless Steve got an important case or, now that she was back at work, Allison had to cover someone's shift.

On this particular day, Allison had gotten off early and headed over to Steve's, planning to beat him home and make him dinner. However, she was surprised to see not only Steve's truck parked outside when she got there, but Danny's car as well.

"Hey," She called out opening the door and stepping around a suitcase.

Steve came out of the kitchen, followed by Danny, and pulled her into a hug.

"Hey babe," He smiled. "You're early."

"Yeah, it was slow so I left," She explained. "I was going to make you dinner, but you ruined my plan."

"Oh no, please feel free to still make dinner," Danny piped up. "I'm not sure I want to try out Steve's cooking just yet."

"Who said anything about me cooking you dinner?" Steve asked his partner. "But for the record, I am an excellent chef."

Allison smiled, rolling her eyes at their bickering.

"You two are ridiculous," She informed them. "But what's going on? What's with the suitcase?"

"Danny got kicked out of his apartment so I offered to let him stay here," Steve explained.

"An offer which, after finding out about the McGarrett house rules, I'm starting to regret excepting," Danny sighed. "Even though I really do appreciate it."

Allison raised an eyebrow as she walked into the kitchen to get a drink, the men following her.

"The 'McGarrett house rules'? I never heard about these,"

"Really? Well allow me to enlighten you," Danny offered. "First of all, no TV after midnight even though I can't sleep without it,"

"Because I can't sleep with it," Steve defended himself.

"Couldn't you just shut your bedroom door, Steve? That way if Danny put the TV on _quietly_ you wouldn't hear it." Allison reasoned.

"But it has to be loud enough to drown out constant sound of the ocean,"

"It's my house! Why should I have to change how I live?"

The men spoke at the same time making Allison laugh as she shook her head at their stubbornness.

"You have to compromise if you're gonna be living together," She told them, knowing they'd never listen. "But okay, what else?" She asked, opening herself a beer.

"Showers aren't allowed to be longer than three minutes!" Danny said, obviously unimpressed with this rule. "Because apparently in the Navy that's a 'luxury' and Steve seems to forget that we are not currently in the Navy!"

Allison laughed again as she lifted herself up to sit on the counter.

"Huh, that's funny," She said with a smirk.

"Funny? What about Commander McGarrett's torturous Navy rules is funny?!" Danny asked in amazement.

"Oh, nothing." Her smirk grew as she turned to Steve. "Just that there didn't seem to be any time restraints when we spent an hour in the shower last week,"

"Okay, ew. I do not need to know that you guys have sex in places that I will be using while I stay here," Danny said in disgust, only succeeding in making Steve smirk as well.

"Then you might want to sleep on the floor instead of the couch, Danno," He told his partner.

"But even that's risky," Allison added with a giggle.

Danny looked between the couple, obviously not amused by their jokes.

"You guys are animals," He told them before taking a sip from one of the beers that was sitting on the table. "I was probably safer at the hotel with the black mould."

"I promise we'll behave while you're staying here," Allison assured him much to Steve's horror.

"What?" He whispered harshly. "We're not going to have sex the whole time Danny's here?"

"Well not here..." Allison said. "That would be awkward for everyone."

Steve nodded and turned to Danny.

"Sorry man, I really hate to do this to you, but you're gonna have to go."

Allison laughed as Danny's jaw dropped as he tried to figure out if Steve was serious.

"You're kidding, right?" He asked after starting blankly at the Navy Seal for a few moments. "You're gonna chose sex over your best friend?"

"It wasn't a particularly hard choice," Steve admitted, smirking once again.

"Well I have a better idea," Danny said, composing himself. "Why doesn't Allison just move in here and I'll take her apartment? I've never heard her complain about it and if she can afford it, I'm sure I can."

"That could work," Steve agreed, turning to Allison who was shaking her head.

"We already talked about this, Steve. I don't want to live with you." Allison reminded him.

"I can't imagine why..." Danny muttered.

"It's not because of the crazy bachelor McGarrett ways of life," Allison said with a smile. "It's just a big step and I don't think we've been together long enough."

Steve sighed and the awkward tension that seemed to slowly fill the room alerted Danny to the fact that this was a touchy subject. Clearing his throat, he changed the focus.

"So, what's for dinner?" He asked.

"Whatever you guys want," Allison told him. "I'll make anything if Steve has the right ingredients."

"You don't have to cook, Ally." Steve decided. "You've been at work all day. We can just order a pizza or something,"

Allison shrugged at his suggestion.

"If you guys want to. I don't mind cooking."

"Well I could go for some Chinese," Danny piped up. "So why don't we just order take-out?"

They all agreed and Steve found a menu so they could order.

"So how was work?" Steve asked Allison as the three of them sat around Steve's dining table. "Were you busy today?"

"It died off completely this afternoon, but this morning, yeah," Allison said with a sigh. "Lots of grumpy, rude tourists too."

"What happened?"

"Oh, just the usual. Complaining about the prices, complaining about the service, too much ice, not enough ice," Allison listed a few problems she'd had. "I swear, some people will complain about anything."

"I think I'd rather get shot at thanks to superman over here," Danny gestured to Steve. "Than work in customer service ever again." Danny agreed.

"It's usually not too bad since all the locals are so sweet," Allison assured them. "But I've actually been thinking a lot about going back to school. You know, so I stand a chance of finding something better."

"Come up with any ideas?" Steve asked, surprised to hear his girlfriend's revelation.

"I think I want to be a victim's councillor," Allison informed the two men. "After being a victim myself, I don't think it would be too difficult to relate to my patients and I was lucky, having such a great support system. I'd really like to help people who aren't so fortunate."

"I can see you being good at that," Danny encouraged her.

"Are you thinking of going back in September?" Steve asked, nodding in agreement with Danny. However, Allison simply shrugged.

"I'm not sure," She admitted. "I'd like to go back for the January semester, but I honestly don't think I can afford to go back at all while I'm paying rent. And I don't think I'd be able to get a loan on my current income."

"Then move in with me," Steve suggested for the second time that night.

"Steve, I told you already that I don't want to do that," Allison sighed.

"But it's perfect," Steve insisted. "You want to go back to school and stop paying rent and Danny needs somewhere to live."

Allison opened her mouth to protest, but stopped when she noticed the look of sincerity in Steve's eyes.

"You seriously want me to move in with you?"

"Well yeah," Steve said with a shrug. "Of course. I love having you here and more often than not one of us sleeps at the other's place. It kinda just makes sense."

Allison nodded and turned to Danny.

"And you seriously want my apartment?"

"I'd prefer somewhere a little fancier and with two bedrooms," The detective confessed. "But I could at least take over your lease for now so you don't have to pay rent and I can actually have a decent shower."

Allison nodded again, taking in what both men had said.

"I'll think about it," She decided, the idea suddenly seeming fairly logical.

The only thing holding her back was the concern that moving in would put more pressure on her relationship with Steve. They did spend a lot of time together already, but living with someone opened up a whole new world of habits and tendencies that usually weren't shared. It really would make or break their relationship and Allison couldn't decide if what they had was strong enough to face the challenge just yet.


	32. Chapter 32

"That box can go in the kitchen!" Allison shouted to Danny as he and the rest of Five-0 helped her move all her stuff into Steve's house a few weeks later.

"Yes, your majesty." He replied, groaning dramatically as he lifted the box.

"Oh, stop your whining," Allison teased. "I helped you move earlier, you owe me."

"What about the rest of us?" Chin asked as he picked up a box as well.

"Drinks on Ally tonight!" Steve shouted, climbing into the truck. A cheer went up amongst the team and Allison smiled.

"Fine, fine," She reluctantly agreed. "Now get back to work, slackers!"

Due to the fact that Allison was still relatively new to Hawaii, she hadn't had time to acquire many possessions and moving her stuff into the house took no longer than an hour. However, after helping Danny move that morning, it was already time for dinner by the time they were done.

"Anyone up for some dinner?" Kono suggested as they sat in Steve and Ally's living room. It was then that Allison got an idea.

"Why don't you all go home, get nice and dressed up, we can go out for dinner and then hit up a club?" Her excitement at the idea was obvious.

"I don't think we're really the clubbing types, babe." Danny said, looking almost repulsed at the thought.

"Oh come on!" Allison persisted. "You guys all work way too hard, a little bit of fun will do you good!"

No one seemed convinced, but Allison refused to give up and due to sheer force of personality, she eventually wore them down.

"You're not seriously wearing that, are you?" Steve asked forty-five minutes later when Allison finally walked down the stairs.

"What? I look hot." Allison smiled, striking a pose.

"Exactly," Steve agreed. "Who you tryin' to impress?"

"No one!" She promised, admiring his outfit of a dress shirt and his best pair of jeans. "But don't you want people to know how hot your girlfriend is?"

She walked over and draped her arms around his neck, breathing in his cologne.

"As long as they keep their hands off," He informed her as he pulled her close.

"I'm sure with you around no one will even dare to look at me," She assured him before stretching up for a kiss. "Now where are my heels?"

"Over there in a box labelled 'shoes'," Steve pointed to a stack of boxes in the corner. "I didn't know where you wanted them, but hurry up or we'll be late."

"You can't rush perfection, Steven!" Allison scolded him playfully, bending over to open the box.

"Fine, then I'll just sit back and enjoy the view,"

He smirked as Allison quickly straightened up before turning to stick her tongue out at him.

"First round is on me!" Allison announced, leading the way into the club.

The group must have looked a little strange to the rest of the people in the bar, but Allison ignored their stares. Joe White, Max Bergman and Kamekona had all attended the dinner, but managed to weasel their way out of the rest of the crazy plans Allison had for the night. That left her with Steve, Kono, Danny and Chin and Malia.

"God guys, stop being so awkward!" Allison scolded as they all stood stiffly at the bar.

"It's been a while since any of us did something like this!" Chin shouted over the music, defending his co-workers.

"Even you, Kono?" Allison asked, surprised to be answered with a nod. "But you're so young and so hot!"

Kono shrugged, smiling at the compliment.

"It wasn't really my thing, I guess."

"Well by the time we're done these shots you'll feel right at home," She giggled as the bartender set six shots down on the bar. "Bottoms up!" She cheered before tossing hers back. The rest followed her example.

"That is strong," Danny coughed when he was done. Allison giggled.

"Yes, it is." She agreed. "Bartender! Another round!"

However before he could fill her request, Steve stopped him.

"Why don't we let everyone order their own drinks?" Steve suggested. "That way you don't have to pay and we won't all be smashed in half an hour."

"Awe, okay," Allison agreed. "We can take it easy."

Steve smiled and kissed the side of her head as his team ordered their own drinks.

"Good plan," He said, pulling her close. "Now, what do you want to drink?"

"Double vodka cranberry, please."

Steve ordered her drink and a beer for himself.

Just over an hour later, a fairly drunk Allison swayed next to the bar where she stood with Steve, Danny and Kono. Malia had dragged Chin off to dance a few minutes earlier, trying to avoid partaking in another round.

"Feeling more relaxed yet?" She asked Kono as Steve grabbed her waist to stop her from falling over.

"Yeah," Kono admitted. "Not quite as relaxed as you, but I'm at a good level."

"Good." Allison grinned. "Now we should all go dance! That girl over there has been staring at Danny for at least...a long time and I bet Kono could have any man in this place!"

"I have a girlfriend," Danny informed her, sipping his beer.

Allison stared at him for a moment before blinking slowly.

"What?"

"I don't want to dance with that lovely young lady over there because I already have a girlfriend," He elaborated.

"Since when?!"

"A while now," He said with a shrug. "She works at the museum, we met while I was there on a case."

"Awe, congrats!" She smiled, throwing her arms around him.

Once she felt satisfied that he had been adequately congratulated, she turned her attention to Kono.

"Then I can put all my effort into finding you a man!"

However, to Allison's disappointment, Kono shook her head.

"I'm, uh, kind of seeing someone too."

As Allison pouted at her confession, Steve and Danny were suddenly intrigued.

"What? Who?" Steve asked.

"That's none of your business, boss." Kono smiled and sipped her drink.

"Does Chin know?" Danny piped up.

"No, he doesn't. And he doesn't need to." She insisted. "I'll tell him when there's more to tell. It's still early days,"

"Well then there is absolutely no reason why you can't find the hottest guy here and dance with him!" Allison said, hopefully once again.

Kono laughed at her drunken enthusiasm.

"Sorry, Ally, but that's not gonna happen."

"Fine," Allison pouted, turning to Steve. "Then it looks like it's just going to be me and you."

"I don't think so, Al." Steve said, putting his now empty beer bottle on the bar behind him. "I don't dance."

"Please?" She whined, pulling his hand trying to physically drag him to the dance floor. However, Steve just smiled as she was unable to move him even an inch.

"If that loser won't dance with a pretty girl like you then don't waste your time," An unfamiliar male voice said from behind her. Steve tensed suddenly standing up straighter, his shoulders back, obviously trying to look intimidating. "Come and dance with a real man, baby."

Allison turned around, staring at the man with a look that clearly conveyed how insane she thought he was.

"Thanks, but no thanks, pal." She turned him down. "That 'loser' just so happens to be my boyfriend."

"We could change that," He said with a sly grin has he moved forward, sliding an arm around her waist. She put her hand on his chest to push him away, but had little success.

"Look, I don't want anyone," She threw a pointed look at Steve, who had fire in his eyes, and Danny, who also looked ready to kill this guy as soon as Steve said the word. "To cause a scene so why don't you just let me go, walk away and we can all pretend this didn't just happen."

"I just wanna show a lady a good time," The man smirked, moving his hands down towards Allison's bum. "No one's going to cause any trouble."

"Actually," Steve said through gritted teeth. "If you don't get your hands of my girlfriend I'll cause you more trouble than you know what to do with."

After hearing Steve's threat, the man let go of Allison, but didn't back down.

"Oh yeah, tough guy? What are you gonna do?" He cracked his knuckles, moving towards Steve in a threatening gesture of his own.

Steve pushed himself away from the bar and moved towards the man.

"Well I'm gonna start by smashing your head against the fucking bar and then-"

Before he could continue, Allison stepped between the two men.

"Okay! That's enough!" She shouted before turning to the creep who was hitting on her. "Even if I didn't have a boyfriend, you were never going to get any of this." She gestured to herself. "So do everyone a favour and back the fuck off before you end up in the hospital. And you," She turned to Steve. "Do not start a fight and get us kicked out of this bar."

"Whatever," The man mumbled. "Bitch ain't even worth it." He was walking away as he spoke, but Steve heard his comment loud and clear.

"You son of a bitch," Steve growled, lunging after him. Luckily, Allison caught him in time and held him back.

"Steve, he's a jerk. Girls in bars attract them. Threatening them and fighting with them is just going to make things worse," She explained, sliding her hands up from his chest to lace around the back of his neck. Much to her surprise, Steve didn't struggle despite the anger lingering in his eyes.

"I know, but no one has the right to look at you, touch you or even think about you like that except me," Steve informed her, pressing a quick kiss against her lips.

"Commander McGarrett," Allison said, feigning shock. "Are you jealous?"

"Jealous? Me? No! Of course not!" Steve insisted. "Protective. I was being protective."

Allison giggled wildly.

"You were jealous!"

"So what if I was?" Steve muttered, glad the darkness was hiding his currently pink cheeks. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Nope," Allison shook her head, still smiling. "A little jealousy reminds me just how desirable I am."

"Desirable doesn't even begin to describe it," Steve told her, forgetting about his coworkers at the bar as he pulled her close and kissed her again.

"Well Sailor," Allison said once their lips parted. "You better come dance with me then before I use my desirability to find me a man who will."

Allison kissed him once more before pushing herself away and walking to the dance floor. She shot a glance over her shoulder and smiled smugly as she saw Steve following closely behind her.


	33. Chapter 33

It took a while for Allison to adjust to living with Steve. He was a man after all and after being left to live alone for as long as Steve had, some very disgusting ways of live were bound to develop. However now, as she struggled through the door with her arms full of cushions just over a month after moving in, the house finally felt like her home.

"What the hell are those?" Steve asked as he rushed to help her before she dropped everything.

"Throw pillows for the bed," Allison explained.

"Babe, if we put all these on our bed there will be no where for us to sleep."

Allison rolled her eyes at his typical man response.

"They're just for decoration, Steve. We take them off before we go to bed."

"Wait," Steve wrinkled his eyebrows together in confusion. "So you spent a ton of money on pillows that don't even function as pillows and are just going to be used to decorate somewhere that no one ever sees?"

"I'll see it," Allison pointed out. "And how much I spent is none of your business. I work hard for my money and can spend it how I like."

"Okay, whatever." Steve muttered, still obviously unimpressed by her purchase.

"What are you doing home so early anyway?" Allison asked choosing to ignore his tone to avoid an argument.

"I have to talk to you,"

"Well that's never good..." Allison said as she piled the pillows up in the corner, deciding whatever Steve had to say was probably more important.

"No, it's not bad." Steve assured her. "Well...it's not good, but it's not about us. Well not really."

"Okay..." Allison sat down on the couch, not finding his words particularly comforting.

"I have to go away for a while," Steve explained. "Jenna Kaye's fiancé went missing while he was on a mission for the CIA and she's finally found him, but she needs to me to go with her when she makes the ransom drop."

"Oh, okay. I'm sure I'll be able to survive," Allison smiled, relieved that there wasn't a problem between them. "How long will you be gone?"

"If everything goes according to plan probably a week, two at the absolute max," Steve looked down at his hands. "But it's more where I'm going that could be an issue."

"Why? Where are you going?"

"North Korea,"

As the words left Steve's mouth Allison stared at him for a minute before laughing quietly.

"I'm sorry, I must've had my hearing aid set to crazy." She said sarcastically. "Did you say North Korea?"

"Yeah, I did." Steve nodded, knowing Allison wasn't going to take this well.

"So you're going with like military back-up and all that, right?"

"No, unfortunately not," Steve sighed. "I tried to contact the team that helped me capture Anton Hesse, but they've been redeployed and there's no way they can help."

"You can't get a different team?"

"Not on such short notice. The military's a busy operation, Ally." He reminded her.

"I know that, but come on, Steve!" Allison exclaimed, her concern growing quickly. "You can't go into North Korea and do this by yourself! You're not superman!"

"This is her only chance to find her fiancé, the man that she loves." Steve justified his actions. "I have to help her."

Allison's lip quivered as she realized that despite the incredible risk of this trip, there was no way she'd be able to change Steve's mind.

"Yeah, but who's going to help me find the man I love when something goes wrong?"

She looked up at Steve with a look that just about broke his heart. The heartache and concern in her eyes was almost enough to make him call the whole thing off. That wasn't an option though so he settled for moving closer and pulling her into his arms.

"I've done things like this a million times, Ally," He assured her, resting his cheek against the top of her head. "Nothing's going to go wrong."

"God, I hope you're right." She whispered as she buried her face in his neck to hide the tears that had slowly begun to roll down her cheeks.

Saying goodbye to Steve had been incredibly hard for Allison and the second he was gone, she had thrown herself into her work. She offered to take shifts left right and center and when her manager told her to stop because they couldn't afford to give her the overtime, she offered to simply help out for free. It wasn't really about the money anyway, she just needed to keep herself busy to stop the horrible thoughts of what could possibly be happening to Steve from filling her mind.

Danny was being very helpful though. He called her at least once every day with an update on Steve and if Ally was busy at work, he'd leave her a voicemail. He hadn't missed a single day in the five days Steve had been gone which was why Allison was filled with panic when she got off work that day and found that he hadn't called.

She frantically dialed his number as she waited at the bus stop, but the call went straight to voicemail. She tried several more times, but after having no success she checked the bus schedule deciding to make a quick detour on the way home.

For the second time since she'd come to Hawaii, Allison burst through the doors into Five-0 headquarters about half an hour later.

"Daniel!" She shouted, drawing the attention of the entire team. "What is going on? Why aren't you answering my calls?"

Danny sighed, obviously unhappy to see her here.

"I've been a little busy today," He told her, walking over to her.

"Busy with what?" She asked. "You've never been too busy to call me with an update before."

"Well this update would probably take longer than the others," He admitted. "We lost contact with Steve."

Allison felt her heart drop into her stomach. Despite the fact that this was what she had expected to hear every time Danny called to update her, there was no way she was prepared for it.

"Is he..." She took a deep breath, fighting the tears that had filled her eyes. "Dead?"

"We don't know." Danny's confession made all the colour drain from Allison's face.

"Oh my god," She choked out. "I knew this would happen."

Danny sighed and pulled her into a hug.

"It'll be okay," He told her, not sure he believed it himself. "We'll figure this out. It could just be that he's in the jungle and his satellite phone lost connection."

Allison nodded as she pulled herself out of his arms.

"Can I stay here for a while?" She asked, not wanting to be alone in their big empty house with nothing to do, but worry.

"Of course," Danny said with a half-hearted smile. "And if you need anything, just let us know."

"Thanks," Allison mumbled before dragging herself to Steve's office, the usual bounce in her step gone completely.

* * *

**Authour's note: Again, I wrote a super long chapter and had to split it into two. I'll post the other part tonight when I get home from work :)**


	34. Chapter 34

Allison sat there, in Steve's office, for over an hour just staring around at his various accomplishments and awards that he had proudly displayed. He even had a few pictures of his family here, something that surprised her compared to the lack of them he had at home. She picked up a photo on his desk. Steve appeared to be about ten in the picture, a cheeky grin on his little face. He was standing next to his father who had his arm around Steve's mother. Mary stood on the end tying the photo together into a nice family portrait. They all looked so happy together and Allison took a minute to admire his mother. She was a beautiful woman and obviously strong for everything she put up with as the wife of a police officer. Allison was quickly realizing just how hard that was and wished she could've met the woman, maybe even gotten some advice from her.

She was still contemplating that when Danny's phone rang in the other room, the commotion that followed drawing her attention.

"Hey, hey, it's Jenna. Get a trace up right now!" Danny yelled as everyone ran towards their computer desk in the middle of the room. "Jenna, its Danny. Where are you?" The phone was on speaker, but even has Allison ran out of Steve's office, she couldn't hear what was being said. "Its okay, it's okay. Just tell me, where's Steve?"

"Wo Fat. It's Wo Fat. He has him and I led Steve right to him." Allison managed to hear Jenna say. She felt what was left of her heart shatter as Danny asked if he was alive and Jenna ignored the question, telling them instead that they were being held south of Kaesong, but before she could give any specific details, the line went dead.

"What's going on?" Allison asked, praying this call was more helpful than she thought it was.

"Nothing," Danny said, sadly. "Wo Fat's got Steve, but that's all we know."

"And there's no way you can trace the call? Did you record it? Maybe if we go to the governor with clear proof that Wo Fat has Steve, he can help us." Allison was desperately racking her brain for a solution.

"I doubt it," Chin said. "Steve went into North Korea on a completely unsanctioned personal mission."

"He thought he was helping a friend," Kono reasoned.

"Some friend," Lori muttered as Allison's eyes filled with tears once again.

"He's gonna die, isn't he?" She asked, earning a sigh from Danny.

"No, not if there is anything at all we can do to prevent that from happening," He assured her. "But right now, we have to stay calm and focus. No more tears, okay babe?"

"Okay," Allison sniffled, wiping her eyes. "I'm gonna go get a coffee while you guys figure this out. Anyone want anything?"

They all shook their heads and Allison nodded before walking out of the office.

As Allison headed back up the stairs towards Five-0 headquarters twenty minutes later she ran into Joe White.

"Hey," She said weakly, trying and failing to sound like her usual perky self.

"Hey there, how you holdin' up?" Joe asked her, seeming genuinely concerned.

"Oh you know," Allison sighed. "As well as could be expected I suppose."

"Steve has a good team," Joe reminded her. "If anyone can fix this, they can."

"Yeah, I know," Allison nodded.

They continued their walk in silence, Joe finally speaking again as he pushed open the door to their office.

"Any word?" He asked the team.

"No, we're still waiting to see if Danny can get the governor to help us," Lori informed them.

"You make any headway with the military?" Chin inquired.

Joe had no great breakthrough in terms of helping Steve either, but he did have some other information that seemed to fill in a lot of the blanks the team had about a related case and provided the location of the bunker where Steve was most likely being held.

However, the new hope they had was quickly dashed when Danny walked in.

"Well we can forget it because even if the governor appealed to the state department about launching a diplomatic mission, something like that could take weeks, even months to get approved." He reluctantly told the group.

"We don't have that kind of time," Lori pointed out.

"Something needs to get done right now or Steve's as good as dead," Chin said, nodding in agreement, his words making more tears cloud Allison's vision.

"So what do we do?" Kono asked, the team all turning to Joe.

"We're gonna bring Steve home," He announced.

"If you're going to save him, I want to come with you." Allison piped up, reminding them of her presence.

Danny spun on his heels, giving her a look that made it clear he thought she was insane.

"No, absolutely not." He told her. "Steve would murder me as soon as he got home and besides, you have no training for this kind of thing."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Allison said sarcastically as she folded her arms. "I wasn't aware that 'rescue missions into North Korea' was now part of detective training school."

"It's not," Danny admitted. "But we all have training of other kinds. For example, we at least know how to use a gun!"

"Point and shoot," Allison shrugged. "How hard can it be?"

"You're not coming with us," He repeated, standing his ground.

"You'll fit in well in North Korea," Allison glared at her boyfriend's partner. "You've got this whole dictator thing down."

Before Danny could reply, Joe stepped in to help.

"Allison, I know you love Steve and want to help him, but you'd be helping him more by staying here," He assured her. "We're going to need all our energy focused on the task at hand and if we're worried about the untrained civilian we have with us it would be more of a weakness than an asset."

Allison sighed, realizing that what Joe was saying made sense.

"Okay, fine." She said, reluctantly giving up. "I'll stay on the bench. But I want you all to come home alive and unharmed. No one else is allowed to get captured or die."

"We'll do our best," Joe promised, a slight smile on his lips.

Allison nodded and said good luck and goodbye before leaving them to plan their mission.

Waiting the three days it took to hear any news from the Five-0 team almost killed Allison. She curled up in bed, wearing one of Steve's old navy shirts just for the faint smell of his cologne that lingered on it, and only got up to eat or use the bathroom. She called in sick to work, reminding her co-workers of how many days they'd had off lately thanks to her and cried more than she'd ever cried before. There was a good chance that the man that she loved was dead and the thought was almost more than she could bear. Knowing that there was absolutely nothing she could do to help made her feel weak and vulnerable, two emotions she wasn't used to feeling and therefore wasn't able to cope with.

Her phone never left her side, but she ignored every single call she got, her heart and hope shrinking a little more every time it rang and Danny's name didn't pop up on the screen. However when he finally called three days after the team had left, answering it and possibly hearing news that she didn't want to hear seemed almost too much of a risk to take and the call was just about to go to voicemail when she finally answered.

"Hello?" She asked quietly.

"He's alive," Danny blurted out, not wanting to draw out her suffering any longer and from the sobs of joy he heard on the other end he knew she was relieved.

"Oh my god," She wailed through her tears. "Thank you, Danny. Thank you so much."

"It wasn't just me," He laughed. "But you're welcome. Wanna talk to him?"

"Yes!" She answered without any hesitation and waited patiently as she heard the phone being passed over.

"Hey, Ally." Steve said, the sound of his voice only making her cry harder.

"Steven, you're alive. Oh my god, I was so worried!" She managed to get out between her sobs. She heard him chuckle.

"I know and I'm sorry," He admitted. "But I told you I'd be okay."

"And I told you that something would go wrong!" Her words were almost incomprehensible as she continued to bawl.

"Allison," He laughed. "I can't understand you, you have to stop crying. This is so unlike you."

"I know!" She said, trying to calm herself. "But then again, it's not every day I spend half a week thinking my boyfriend has been tortured to death in North Korea."

"Good point," Steve smiled as Joe informed him that they needed to board the plane. "Okay, I gotta go, Ally. But I'll be home soon. I love you."

"I love you too," She sniffled before hanging up the phone and lying back against his pillow. Filled with relief now that she knew Steve was alive, the lack of sleep she'd gotten in the last few days finally caught up with her and, comforted by the knowledge she'd have Steve back safe in less than a day, she drifted off to sleep.

By the time Steve got home that day and had been checked out by a medic, it was late and despite how happy they were to see each other, Allison and Steve both passed out in each other's arms as soon as they got home.

"Good morning, Sailor," Allison said with a grin as she rolled over to face him the next morning.

"Good morning, Ally," He mumbled sleepily, pulling her close.

"How're you feeling today?" She asked, enjoying the simple act of resting her head on his chest due to the fact that twenty four hours earlier she thought she'd never be able to do it again.

"Sore," He admitted. "But I'm fine. Happy to be alive and with you."

"Awe, I'm happy you're alive and with me too." She smiled, pulling her head back to stretch up and kiss his slightly swollen lips. That was when she noticed the blood on the bandages on his face. "Ew, Steve, your face is bleeding again."

"That's okay," He sighed, not wanting to get up yet.

"No, baby, it's gross." Allison insisted. "Come on, let's go get you all cleaned up."

It took a few more minutes of convincing, but eventually Allison managed to get Steve out of bed and into the bathroom. She made him sit on the toilet seat as she filled a small bowl with warm water and disinfectant before grabbing a clean face cloth.

"This might sting a bit," She said as she carefully dabbed at the dried blood around his cuts. "I still can't believe they tortured you like this," She muttered.

Steve shrugged, trying not to wince as she cleaned his wounds.

"I'm not surprised," He admitted. "But now I know how important it is to out what Shelburne is and get to it before Wo Fat does."

"And I'm sure you will," Allison assured him. "You're much smarter than that son of a bitch, but look at what he did to your cute little face." She teased before placing a kiss on the tip of his nose.

Steve chuckled.

"It could've been much worse," He reminded her, wiping the smile off her face completely.

"I know," Her voice was quiet and she stopped tending to his cuts for a moment. "I thought for sure you were dead, Steve. I've never been so scared in my life."

Steve sighed and took the bowl and cloth away from her, placing them on the counter before holding her hands in his own.

"I'm sorry for that. I never meant to scare you or make you worry," He said, sincerity in his voice. "But it doesn't matter now. I'm alive and I'm home."

Allison was quiet for a moment, looking down at their hands.

"No, Steve. It does still matter now. I need you to promise me that you won't go on anymore of these crazy missions,"

"I can't promise you that, Ally. It's my job."

"No, it's not. You're job is here in Hawaii, capturing criminals with the help of your team," She looked up at him. "Not running off to dangerous countries with no back-up."

"Well sometimes my job changes and I have to adjust accordingly." He shrugged.

"There's no reason you'd ever have to do anything without your team, Steve." Allison insisted. "And I need you to promise me that you won't try and be superman anymore."

"I can't promise you that!" Steve's voice rose slightly as he began to get frustrated with his girlfriend's persistence. "You know the risks of my job, why is this such a big deal all of a sudden?"

Allison looked away for a minute and took a deep breath before locking eyes with Steve once again.

"I'm pregnant."


	35. Chapter 35

Steve sat on the toilet seat, staring up at Allison, his jaw hanging open. Knowing this was a big announcement, she gave him a moment to think it over, but when five minutes had passed and he still was still silent she got impatient.

"This is usually where you say something..." She urged.

Steve nodded slowly.

"Yeah. Wow." He stumbled over the words. "Seriously?"

"As a heart attack, unfortunately." Allison confirmed.

"Unfortunately?" Steve questioned. "You're not happy about this?"

"Not really," Allison admitted, feeling guilty. "It's just...I'm only twenty-five! I still drink far more than I should and put myself before everyone else. Not exactly things you look for in a mother. And I had plans! I was going to go back to school..."

"You're young, yes. But lots of people still act like that before they have kids and you can still go back to school. Maybe not in January, but we can figure something out."

"Well what about you?" Allison asked Steve. "Are you happy?"

"I-I don't know," He admitted as well. "I'm not unhappy, but after watching how my family fell apart because of my dad's career, I kinda ruled out having kids. I just don't ever want to have to make choice like he did."

"What do you mean?" Allison asked quietly.

"In the toolbox that my dad left for me to find there was a tape recorder," Steve explained. "And he was talking about all the regrets that he had about being a cop and how it broke him sending me and Mary away after my mom died. But I know now that sending us away probably saved our lives and I don't ever want to have to make a choice like that. Being a part of my children's lives or keeping them safe."

Allison nodded, tearing up again. Steve noticed and chuckled as he reached up to wipe her eyes.

"I guess this explains why you've been crying so much lately," He said causing Allison to giggle slightly.

"Yeah, probably." She agreed.

"So how long have you known?"

"About a week." She confessed. "The day I went shopping with Rachel and came home with all those pillows you hate, I went to the doctor and they called two days later and confirmed that I'm pregnant."

"How far along are you?"

"I don't know for sure. I'll have to make another doctor's appointment to figure that out, but if my math's right, I'm probably just over a month."

"Wow," Steve let his hands move to her stomach, trying to process all the information. "And you're going to keep it?"

"Yeah," Allison answered quietly. "But I don't expect you to be there if you don't want to. I made my choice and you can make yours."

"Of course I'm going to be there!" Steve exclaimed, pulling Allison towards him so she was standing between his legs. "Sure, this wasn't planned, but it's my responsibility too and I want to be there for you and our...baby."

He smiled slightly as he said the word. Saying it made it seem more real and the more he thought about it, the more he warmed up to the idea. Allison returned his smile, leaning down to kiss him.

"I love you," She mumbled.

"I love you too." He replied before pushing her back slightly so he could stand. "Now let's go back to bed. I'm tired and you must be doubly exhausted coping with all that stress while you're living for two."

Allison giggled and nodded before leading him back to their room.

"Hey!" Allison called from the kitchen as Steve got home from work a couple of weeks later. She heard no response, but a few moments later, she felt Steve's arms snake around her waist as she stood at the sink.

"Hello," He said as he rested his head on her shoulder.

"How was your day?" She asked with a smile.

"Oh, you know," He sighed. "We rescued a bus full of elementary school kids from crazy members of a drug cartel."

"All in a day's work for Mr. Super Seal," Allison teased.

"Yeah, but it's different now," Steve admitted.

Allison quickly finished rinsing the last dish in the sink and dried her hands before turning to face Steve.

"What do you mean?"

"Well now that you're pregnant and I'm gonna be a dad, the cases with kids are so much harder," He confessed. "I don't know how Danny does it. I spent the whole day distracted, thinking about how shitty it would be if someone took our kid and it's not even been born yet."

Allison smiled and stroked his cheek.

"You're new at this whole daddy thing, I'm sure it's hard for everyone at the start," She assured him. "But you could always talk to Danny, maybe get some advice."

"And put up with the relentless teasing about how I'm becoming sensitive? No thank you," Steve smiled.

"Does he even know yet?" She asked.

"No," Steve shook his head. "None of them do. With Chin's big wedding announcement and all the excitement about that, I didn't want to steal his thunder."

"Good choice," Allison nodded. "I read that sometimes it's best not to tell too many people until after the first trimester anyway because there are still lots of things that could go wrong."

"Okay, then I'll hold off on telling them for now."

"It might not even be that long though," Allison said, reminding him that they didn't really know how far along she was. "But I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow so if you can get half an hour off work we can figure it out...I mean, if you want to come."

"Of course I want to come!" Steve insisted. "Just tell me when and where and I'll be there."

Allison smiled and stretched up to kiss him.

The next day, Allison shifted uncomfortably as she waited at the clinic. Steve was late and, despite the fact that she'd told him he didn't even have to come, she was beginning to fret that he wouldn't be there in time. She had managed to keep it together all morning, but the second she walked into the waiting room, the nerves hit.

"Hey, sorry I'm late." Steve said, sliding into the chair next to her before leaning over to place a kiss on her cheek. "How're you?"

"Nervous," She admitted.

"About what?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Everything," She replied as he reached over to hold her hand. "What if something's wrong with it? Like it's missing an arm or has four heads? Or what if there's no heartbeat?"

Steve chuckled.

"I'm sure everything's fine."

Allison rolled her eyes at his attempt to comfort her.

"What do you know? You're not a doctor..."

Before Steve could argue with her a nurse appeared and called Allison's name. She took a deep breath before standing up, keeping a firm grasp on Steve's hand as they walked towards the Doctor's office.

"Okay, Ms. Jace, because of how far along you are this ultrasound will be vaginal so I'm going to have to ask you to change into this lovely hospital gown," The nurse informed her as they got settled in the office. "And the doctor will be with you in about five minutes."

Allison nodded and, once the nurse had left, she quickly changed. As she looked around the room and at the ultrasound machine in the corner, she felt her nerves grow again. Steve noticed and scooted his chair closer to the exam table so he could hold her hand once more. Allison smiled and squeezed it gently, silently letting him know she appreciated the gesture.

As promised, the doctor came in almost exactly five minutes later and after a quick introduction, they got down to business.

"So Ms. Jace, this is your first doctor's appointment for this pregnancy?" Allison nodded. "And you've never been pregnant before?" She shook her head, Steve's hand still firmly in her own. "Okay, well today will just be a general check up," He explained. "We will be able to date your pregnancy, hear the heartbeat and make sure everything's progressing as it should be. Feel free to ask questions whenever you'd like, but there will be time for us to chat at the end as well."

Allison nodded again and the doctor asked a few general questions about her health and medical history before getting her to lay back to begin the ultra sound. As she positioned her feet in the stirrups, she felt her anxiety begin to rise and squeezed Steve's hand a little tighter. He smiled down at her, squeezing back.

"It'll be fine," He promised quietly.

His comment drew the doctor's interest and he also noticed her discomfort.

"Oh yes, this is a routine procedure," He assured her. "You may feel some tenderness as I insert the probe, but it should pass."

"It's more the health of the baby I'm worried about," Allison admitted.

"Do you have any particular reason for your concern that I should know about?" The doctor asked as he got the equipment ready.

"Not really, but I have been under a lot of stress lately," She told him. "Like, more stressed than I've ever been in my life. That can't be good for the thing, right?"

The doctor smiled, hearing worries like this all the time from expectant mothers.

"No, stress isn't great for the baby, but your body and even the baby are able to cope with a certain level of stress." He assured her before carefully inserting the probe. Allison winced slightly, but was comforted by his words.

Once everything was in position, he began pointing things out on the screen and Allison fought back tears as they listened to the perfectly healthy heartbeat.

"Look, Steve," She said, tearing her eyes off the screen to look up at her boyfriend. "It's our baby."

Steve nodded, a smile on his face, keeping his eyes locked on the image of their child.

When it was over, Allison got cleaned up and changed back into her normal clothes before they talked to the doctor. He informed them that she was about 8 weeks along and that everything was progressing exactly how it should.

As they walked out of the office hand in hand, neither of them could wipe the smiles off their faces.

"It seems so real now," Allison said, breaking the silence when they got to Steve's truck.

"Yeah, it does," He agreed. "Are you going to tell your parents?"

Allison stared at Steve for a moment before she began laughing hysterically.

"No, not yet." She told him. "Definitely not yet."

Steve's eyebrows wrinkled together in confusion.

"What's so funny? Why aren't you going to tell them?"

Allison climbed into her seat before looking back at Steve who was holding the door open for her.

"Because when I do, Wo Fat will no longer be your biggest threat," She warned him.

"Oh..." Steve said, realizing what she meant. "You think you're dad will be that mad?"

"You knocked up his only daughter after only being in a relationship with her for a few months, yeah. He's gonna be furious."

Steve nodded, thinking this over for a moment.

"Right. Well maybe telling your parents can wait just a little bit longer."

Allison smiled and leaned out of the truck, pressing her lips softly against his.

"I'm glad you agree,"

Steve smiled back and closed the door before jogging around to get in the driver's side as Allison looked down at the photo of the tiny little person growing inside her.


	36. Chapter 36

**Authors note: I'm soo sorry that it's taken me so long to update. I'm super super sick at the moment and have had no energy or inspiration.**

* * *

Just over a month had passed when Allison found herself standing beside Joe White at the back of Chin and Malia's wedding. The ceremony was beautiful, as were the bride and groom, but Allison's eyes lingered on Steve. He cleaned up well and she couldn't help, but picture him at their own wedding. Not that they had any plans, but she had always wanted to get married. A simple ceremony, much like the one she was currently attending, a fancy dress, her father walking her down the aisle towards the man she loved, she'd thought about it often as she grew up and thinking about it now, the only man she could picture in her little fantasy was Steve.

As she stood lost in her thoughts, she absentmindedly rubbed her lower back as it started to ache. This was a side effect from the pregnancy and usually not too bad, but thanks to the heels she was wearing, it was starting to bother her.

"So, uh, how far along are you?" Joe whispered, leaning over slightly so he wouldn't disturb the other guests.

Allison stared at him wide eyed, her hand moving from her back to her stomach.

"What? How did you know?" She asked, shocked.

"I've seen enough pregnant women in my life to know the symptoms." He smiled. "I've had my suspicions ever since you were hysterical over Steve being captured."

"They train you guys well in the navy..." Allison muttered, still floored that he'd figured it out.

"That they do," He agreed.

"I'm just over three months," She told him.

"Well congratulations," He said before they turned their attention back to the ceremony.

* * *

Once the ceremony was finished, the reception started. The chairs were cleared away and replaced with tables and people began piling the food on. Sticking with the casual theme of the wedding, Chin and Malia had decided to make it a pot-luck, where each person or family brought a dish so by the time they were done setting it up it there was far more food than everyone would be able to eat. Suddenly realizing how hungry she was, Allison took advantage of the fact that most people had headed straight to the bar and grabbed a plate.

Just as she finished stacking her plate with food, she felt Steve's arms snake around her waist.

"Wow, someone's hungry." He joked, looking at the large amount of food she had taken.

"Well I am eating for two," She reminded him with a smile. "Oh, and Joe knows by the way."

"He does?" Steve asked, confused.

"Yeah, these heels made my back ache and he noticed me rubbing it and asked about it. Apparently he's had suspicions for a while now."

"I'm not surprised," Steve admitted. "Nothing gets by Joe. You should really take those heels off though. You're the only one here even wearing shoes."

"But they look so cute with this dress," She pouted as the bride and groom approached them. Allison pulled away from Steve and passed him her plate before throwing her arms around the couple. "Congratulations!" She said with a smile. "You both look amazing and the ceremony was beautiful."

"Mahalo," Malia smiled

"We need to get you a drink," Chin commented, noticing that she seemed to be the only person without one.

Allison shot a quick glance at Steve before shaking her head at Chin.

"Thanks, but I'm not drinking tonight..."

"Oh my god," She heard Danny yell as soon as she was done politely declining Chin's offer. "Did I just hear Allison Jace turn down a drink?!"

"Hey!" She exclaimed, feigning offense. "I don't drink all the time!"

"No, but this is a special occasion and from what I've heard you'd normally be first in line at the bar," Danny said as Chin nodded in agreement.

Allison sighed and looked back at Steve, hoping he'd save the day. However, he just shrugged.

"I just, uh, had a headache earlier and took some painkillers," Allison lied. "I've heard it's not good to mix medication and alcohol..."

"Good one," Kono laughed, appearing from behind Danny. "Any other excuses you'd like to try? Keep in mind you're talking to a bunch of cops."

"I don't see why me staying sober is such a big deal!" Allison said, her frustrations rising as she began to feel cornered. Sensing his girlfriend's calmness slipping away, Steve stepped up and slid his arm around her waist.

"I didn't want to bring this up just yet because I didn't want the lovely bride and groom to feel we were trying to outshine them," Steve informed the small crowd of his coworkers that had gathered around. "But Allison won't be drinking tonight because she's pregnant."

The group stared at them for a moment before cheering.

"Congratulations!" Chin exclaimed as Kono and Malia hugged Allison.

"And when were you planning on telling me?" Danny asked as he placed a hand on Steve's shoulder.

Steve shrugged, a smile on his face.

"I hadn't really thought about it." He admitted.

"Well congrats, buddy and good luck. Parenting is one hell of a ride."

Steve thanked his partner and Kono started to laugh.

"The boys of Hawaii better pray you don't have a girl," She said. "They're gonna have a bad a hard enough time with one of you having a daughter," She was referring to how overprotective Danny is of Grace.

"I know," Allison groaned.

Everyone chuckled before firing more questions at the couple.

* * *

After the hype of Steve's announcement had died down, the party had continued as planned. Allison noticed however that Steve was keeping a very close eye on Joe. About half way through the celebrations, Joe wandered off and, after finishing the last sip of his beer, Steve followed. Allison sighed, filled with concern as she let him go. However, after making sure he was far enough away, she went over to the top of the hill where she could look down at the beach. Sure enough, Steve stood there next to his training officer.

Even from the distance that Allison was watching from she could tell that things weren't going well. Despite the fact that both men had been given Navy training and were usually incredibly good at hiding their emotion, their body language gave them away. Something was wrong and Allison had a hunch it had to do with this whole 'Shelburne' thing.

Allison was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Kono walk over and stand by her side.

"It's probably nothing," She said, alerting Allison to her presence.

"I'm not so sure about that..." Allison sighed.

"Joe has been lying to Steve about...things lately," Kono told her, not sure how much she should give away. "But they're both grown men, I'm sure they'll handle it in an adult manner."

"Is it about Shelburne?" Allison asked, not taking her eyes off the two men on the beach. "He thinks I don't notice, but he gets up almost every night and goes down to his office to look over all his files."

"I think so, yeah." Kono admitted. Steve probably wouldn't want her telling Allison that, but she'd straight up asked and Kono wasn't going to lie to the poor woman's face.

"I'm really worried about him," Allison's voice was quiet. "He promised he wouldn't go off on any more superman missions, but I'm not sure I believe him. And I don't think I can handle worrying about him like that again."

Kono turned to face her new friend.

"Everything Steve does is to protect his family," She assured Allison. "If he thinks someone he loves is in danger, he won't be able to stay at home and not do anything, but he only does it when he knows he has to."

Allison nodded and rubbed her stomach subconsciously as she saw Steve and Joe turn back towards them.

"Well let's just hope it doesn't come to that," She said, sighing once again.

By the time Steve and Joe had gotten to them, a smile was plastered on Allison's face. Kono saw right through it, but Steve was fooled.

"You spying on us?" Steve joked, slipping an arm around her waist.

"Oh you know how it is," Allison smiled. "I get so sad if I go more than five minutes without you around."

Steve laughed and kissed the top of her head.

"Oh yeah, your clinginess is really starting to get on my nerves." He said sarcastically.

Allison laughed and as they walked back to the rest of the group, she tried to put her worries out of her mind to enjoy the evening.


	37. Chapter 37

**Authours note: I'm still pretty sick, but figured I owed you guys another update since it took so long last time. Sorry if it's not up to standard. I did my best, but I'm a little doped up on cold medicine! :P**

* * *

Allison lazed in the bath, rubbing her now slightly swollen stomach as she stifled a yawn. Despite the fact that it happened to be her day off, that was not the case for Steve which unfortunately meant that she was woken up early anyway. This wasn't something she'd thought about when she had agreed to move in and with the added strain of pregnancy, never having a chance to sleep in was really wearing on her, especially now that she was five months along. However, even though Steve insisted that she quit her job and take it easy as he could afford to take care of them both, Allison refused. She wasn't ready to be completely dependent on Steve and besides, what else would she do all day if she didn't have to go to work?

The ache in her back was quickly become an issue though which was what had led Allison to taking a nice long soak in the bath, praying it would help ease the tension in her sore muscles. However, after only ten minutes of relaxation, Allison's plans were ruined by the sound of her cell phone ringing on the counter. She ignored it the first time, but when it rang again not even ten seconds later, she let out a groan of frustration before drying her hand and answering it.

"Hello?" She said, trying to hide her displeasure.

"Hey, Ally. It's Danny. Rachel went into labour early and we're on the way to the hospital now, but she wants you to come too." Danny replied. It was obvious from his tone that he was a little frazzled and a similar feeling of panic filled Allison.

"Already? But she's not due yet!"

"Well sometimes these things don't go as planned, babe," He reminded her.

"Yeah, I know." Allison grabbed a towel as she got out of the bath. "Okay, I'll be there as soon as possible."

They said a quick goodbye before Allison hung up and frantically got dressed.

* * *

"As another contraction builds, imagine your cervix is a softly glowing tunnel, stretching and expanding," Danny read from a book as Allison walked in the room. "Rachel, baby, I'm out!"

"Danny!" Rachel groaned as Danny threw the book into a corner.

"Rachel, please! What are we doing with this hippy new age garbage?" Allison smiled, quietly taking a seat as the couple fought it out. "Let's mainline some drugs. Immediately!"

"No," Rachel said firmly. "I didn't need drugs with Grace."

"No," Danny agreed. "I needed drugs because you squeezed my hand so hard you almost broke my pinky finger,"

Allison and Rachel laughed and the tension between the two eased slightly.

"So...looks like you're having fun..." Allison said sarcastically as Rachel groaned through another contraction a few seconds later.

"Oh, absolutely." Rachel matched her tone. Once the contraction had passed, she noticed how pale and anxious Allison looked. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I thought Rachel was supposed to be the only one here who looks like she's about to pass out," Danny joked.

"I'm fine," Allison assured them, rather unconvincingly.

"What's wrong?" Rachel insisted.

"Nothing, it's just..." Allison sighed. "Seeing you in pain and hearing all the screams from other women, I'm freaking out a little."

"Oh honey, it's not that ba-" Rachel's words would probably have been comforting to Allison, but due to the fact that they were cut off by another fierce contraction, they really had the opposite effect.

"Can I change my mind?" Allison asked, once the contraction was over. "I'm not ready to have a baby anymore."

Rachel chuckled, but shook her head.

"It's too late for that now," She told her. "But it's worth it."

As if to prove her point, Grace walked in right after she spoke.

"Hey!" Danny smiled at his daughter. She smiled back before turning her attention to the bags in her hands.

"I got gummies, sour gummies and gummy straws!"

"Wow," Danny laughed. "Get over here right now, I want some of your gummies."

"What're you guys talking about?" The little girl asked, sitting on her dad's lap.

"What are we talking about? What are we always talking about?" Danny asked, looking at Rachel. "We're talking about our beautiful, amazing daughter and how she thinks that gummies are a balanced meal."

"Why don't I take her to get some real food?" Allison offered with a smile. She was eager to get away from the labour ward for a while and was fairly certain Rachel wouldn't want Grace seeing her in pain.

"What do you say?" Danny asked Grace. "Wanna go hang out with Allison for a while?"

"Only if I can still eat gummies..." She said, not happy about the threat of 'real food'. Allison smiled and nodded.

"As long as you promise to share,"

"Okay!" Grace jumped off her dad's lap and quickly took Allison's hand before dragging her towards the cafeteria.

* * *

After a long and nerve-wrack day of witnessing firsthand the pain she'd have to go through in just a short four months, Allison was left scared and emotionally exhausted. However, as she looked down at the sleeping babies in the nursery she couldn't deny that she felt a little bit of excitement as well. Yes, she'd have to go through a fair amount of pain to bring their child into the world, but after that they'd have their own sweet little baby to love and raise. At first, Allison wasn't sure it was worth it, but now, even though she still wasn't too eager for the next four months to fly by, she was beginning to think differently.

A flash from the second viewing window across the room drew Allison out of her thoughts. She saw Steve and Danny looking down at the babies as well, but decided to leave them in peace, knowing that it had been a hard day for Danny and that he could probably use some time to talk it out with a friend. However, Allison couldn't help, but wonder how Steve felt about all this and whether seeing all these tiny babies was making him more excited or nervous.

She didn't have to wait too long to find out though because not even five minutes later, she saw Steve walking around to her side of the room.

"Hey, how's Danny?" She asked as Steve walked towards her.

"As well as you can expect," Steve shrugged. "How're you? I hear you've had a rough day."

"I'm terrified," She admitted. "But I'm okay."

Steve smiled and put his arms around her waist as he stood behind her, his chin resting on her shoulder as his hands went to her stomach.

"You'll be fine," Steve assured her. "And I'll be there the whole time, I promise."

"I know and I'm definitely taking as many drugs as they'll give me so hopefully that'll make it less painful," She smiled.

"Good," Steve kissed her neck softly. "I don't want any broken fingers like poor Danno."

"I'll keep that in mind," She laughed, putting her hands over his. "How are you doing? Like seeing all these babies and everything."

"I'm great," Allison could see him smile in their reflection in the window. "Nervous of course, but excited. Definitely excited."

"Good. I don't want you getting all freaked out an abandoning me."

Steve placed another reassuring kiss on her neck.

"I'd never abandon you, Ally," He promised. "I'll be there every step of the way. I'll even keep your side of the bed warm when it cries in the middle of the night."

Allison laughed, but shook her head.

"No way, Sailor." She protested. "If I have to take care of it while you're at work in the day then you get the night shift."

"How about we just let it cry?" Steve joked. "Toughen it up right from the start."

Allison laughed again and turned to face Steve. She placed her hand on his cheek and kissed him softly.

"You're going to be such a good father," She teased.

"I know," He smiled, kissing her again. "And because I'm already such a good boyfriend, I'll take you out for dinner."

"Sounds good," Allison said, moving her hand away from his cheek to hold his hand. He took one final look at the little babies behind the glass before leading Allison away, his mind filled with nervous excitement about how soon they would have their own.


	38. Chapter 38

Not even three weeks later, Allison found herself back in a doctor's office. This time it was for her own baby though, not someone else's. Today was the day that they got to find out the gender of their child and Allison was excited. However, Steve was supposed to be joining her and he was late. Really late. She hadn't seen or heard from him since the night before when the event that they were attending, hosted by the Governor, was interrupted by a case. Steve had dropped Allison off at home before he and the rest of Five-0 went off to investigate. She knew it was an important case, but surely this was important too and it would only take an hour or so. Looking at the clock for the millionth time, Allison sighed. She had already let another couple go ahead and have their appointment first to buy Steve some time, but he still hadn't shown up and she wasn't sure the nurse would let her do it again.

Feeling her stress level growing with each minute that passed, she pulled out her phone. She quickly found Steve's name in her contacts, but groaned in frustration when her call went straight to voicemail.

"Hey, it's me," Her voice was hushed in an attempt to avoid other people overhearing, but her tone easily conveyed her annoyance. "Did you forget about our appointment today? You're forty-five minutes late! You better show up in the next fifteen minutes or I'm going in without you. Call me when you get this."

After hanging up, Allison stared at the door, biting her nails anxiously. However, she was disappointed when fifteen minutes later Steve was still MIA.

"Are you ready, Miss. Jace?" A nurse called, drawing Allison's attention.

"Um," She took one last quick glance at the door, but was only met with more disappointment. "Yeah. I am." She forced a smile and stood up to follow the nurse.

* * *

When Steve came home later that evening, Allison was sitting on the couch, thinking about the results of the ultrasound. The sound of the door drew her from her thoughts and, despite her better judgement, she immediately went into battle mode.

"Where were you today, Steven?! You missed my doctor's appointment and you never even replied to my message!" She yelled as Steve closed the door and she jumped to her feet. "And what the hell happened to your face?!"

"I'm sorry I missed your appointment, but I've had a bad day too," Steve said, obviously grumpy as well. "Lori was forced to quit the team and I got hit by a car."

"Why did you get hit by a car?" Allison asked, crossing her arms. She was concerned, but he appeared to be relatively unharmed so her annoyance was still at full strength.

"In the words of the governor I was causing an 'international incident'," His tone made it clear that he was still bitter. "I prefer to say I was doing my job and putting a man who raped a woman and killed her sister behind bars."

"And you couldn't have waited until after my doctor's appointment to cause this 'international incident'?" Allison asked, trying to get back to the reason she was frustrated.

"No, I couldn't." Steve said firmly. "The guy was some big shot Russian dignitary. If I'd waited another day, he would've run back to Russia and we wouldn't have been able to catch him."

"I didn't need a day, Steve!" Allison yelled. "I needed an hour. That's all! You have an entire team of people working for you. Surely they could have handled things for that long!"

Steve sighed and rubbed his hand over his eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I know you're mad at me and I'm sorry, I wanted to be there, but we both know nothing I say will make up for it and I have a killer headache."

"I'm not mad!" Allison insisted, lowering her voice slightly. "I'm disappointed and a little bit humiliated."

"What? Why are you humiliated?" Steve asked, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at her dramatics.

"Because when an obviously unmarried and pregnant young woman goes to a doctor's appointment and is obviously waiting for someone to show up and that someone never does, people assume the worst!" Allison explained, her voice and temper rising again. "You should've seen the pitiful looks people gave me and a nurse gave me a pamphlet for a fucking single parent's support group!"

"There's nothing wrong with single parents," Steve pointed out, his somewhat defensive tone no doubt in support of his father.

"Yeah, except for that the fact that I'm not one and the only reason people thought I am is because you always have to be the hero."

"That's not fair at all, Ally." Steve argued. "I wasn't being a hero this time, I was just doing my job."

"That's what you said last time and we both know that wasn't true." Allison muttered causing Steve to sigh again.

"That's a whole other argument and if you're willing to calm down, I'd much rather hear about your ultrasound."

Allison glared at him for moment, silently debating whether she should let this go that easily or put up a fight. However, knowing Steve was probably disappointed that he missed the appointment as well, she decided to drop it for now.

"I can do better than tell you about it," She mumbled, walking over to the coffee table where a DVD was laying.

"They filmed it?" Steve asked, excitement flashing in his eyes as Allison put the disc in and grabbed the remote. As she sat on the couch, she couldn't help, but smile at his joy.

"Yeah, I requested it, but I think they usually do anyway," She confessed. Steve nodded and sat next to her, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"Wow," Steve whispered as their baby appeared on the screen. "It's so big now,"

"He," Allison said quietly. "He's so big now."

She smiled as Steve's eyes widened.

"It's a boy? We're having a boy?" Allison nodded as a smile burst on Steve's face. "I'm gonna have a son!"

Before Allison even had a chance to respond, Steve had pulled her close and planted a kiss on her lips.

"Wow," She said, slightly breathless when he pulled away.

"Sorry, I know you're still mad, but..." He looked down at her stomach, carefully placing his hands on it. "We're gonna have a son."

"I'm not mad," She repeated, resting her hands on top of his. "And yes, I'm growing you another Navy Seal," She teased.

Steve nodded, obviously still slightly dazed, a proud grin plastered on his face.

* * *

Later that night, Allison was lying in bed reading a book. Well, there was a book open in front of her, but her mind was so busy that she hadn't even managed to read a single page. When she was arguing with Steve, she hadn't been entirely honest about why she was upset. Yes, she was disappointed and yes, she had felt a smidgen of humiliation at the doctor's office, but above all else, she was concerned. Their child hadn't even been born yet and Steve had missed an important event in his little life because work had gotten in the way. Even though Steve had expressed several times throughout the evening how bad he felt about not being there and promised a million times to make it up to her, she couldn't help, but wonder if this is how it was going to be for the baby. Would Steve miss every important school event, sport's game and whatever else their son chose to do just to use his charm to win him back afterwards? It was one thing that he did it to her, she chose to stay and put up with it, but she was starting to worry that she was condemning her child to the same pain.

The sound of a door opening once again jolted Allison out of her thoughts.

"Hey, I thought you were going to bed?" Steve asked as he walked into their bedroom.

"I couldn't sleep," She told him, watching as he quickly changed into his pajamas pants. "So I thought I'd read for a little while to clear my mind."

She put her bookmark back in place and turned off the lamp as Steve climbed into bed.

"We're good, right?" He asked, pulling her close.

Allison sighed, resting her head on his chest.

"Yeah, we're good." She decided, knowing she couldn't hold it against him forever. She felt him breathe a sigh of relief as she closed her eyes.

However, just as she was starting to drift off, Steve spoke again.

"Have you thought of any names? Now I know it's a boy, I can't stop thinking about it." He admitted, making Allison smile.

"Well I was thinking we could always name him after your dad," Allison told him, her eyes still closed. "But if you want something different, I've always liked the name Sawyer."

"Hm, Sawyer McGarrett," Steve tested it out.

"Sawyer John Steven McGarrett?" Allison suggested, making Steve smile.

"I like it," He decided before kissing the top of her head.

"Me too," She agreed through a yawn. "But we don't have to choose anything yet."

"Okay," Steve nodded, realizing how tired she was. "Well, goodnight, Ally. I love you."

"I love you too," Allison replied, desperately fighting against the part of her that, thanks to the day's events, was wishing she didn't.


	39. Chapter 39

**Authours note: Again, I'm so sorry it took so long for me to update. There's some crazy stuff going on in my personal life that has been taking up my time and when I did have time to write, it wasn't coming out very well.**

**Big things are coming up soon though! **

**And a SUPER big thanks to everyone who has reviewed, I really appreciate it and it always supplies great motivation :)**

* * *

"Hello?" Allison heard a familiar voice call out as she made lunch in the kitchen. However, it was not a voice she'd expected to hear any time soon so, with confusion written all over her face, she waddled into the living room to investigate.

"Mary, hey! What are you doing here?" She asked as her boyfriend's sister ran over to give her a hug.

"I got a job as a flight attendant," Mary explained, obviously excited. "And they gave me the Oahu to New York run so I'll be here all the time!"

"That explains the uniform," Allison smiled. "And congratulations, that's great."

"Congratulations to you too!" Mary said as she took a step back to look at Allison. "You're so big now!"

"I know," Allison whined. "I'm huge and I still have two months to go,"

Mary's eyes widened in surprise.

"He's gonna be one big baby," She commented as Allison nodded, nose wrinkled in displeasure. "Anyway, where's the daddy?"

"Steve? He's surfing with Danny right now, but I'm not sure where they went."

"Okay, well I'm gonna go see if I can find them," Mary decided, picking up her purse from where she'd dropped it on the couch. "I'll see you later!"

Allison waved goodbye as Mary left as quickly as she came.

* * *

When Steve didn't come home for dinner that night, Allison packed up the leftovers and headed to Five-0 headquarters. However when she arrived she was surprised to find Mary sitting his office, both of the McGarretts looking awful.

"What's wrong?" Allison asked, praying no one had died.

"Nothing, don't worry about it," Steve said, walking over and placing a kiss on her cheek.

"I am worried," She protested, not letting it go. "What's wrong?"

"I messed everything up," Mary admitted quietly. "This guy taped diamonds to me, got me arrested and when the plane I should be on gets to New York without me, they're going to kill my friend."

"Oh my god," Allison said, noticing the tears in Mary's eyes. Steve sighed.

"We're not going to let that happen, Mary." He assured her. "We're gonna catch the guy."

Mary nodded, somewhat comforted by her brother's promise.

"I brought lunch," Allison held up the bag in her hand, hoping it might cheer them up a bit, but as Mary looked over, something caught her eye over Allison's shoulder.

She quickly leapt out of her chair and walked out of Steve's office. Steve and Allison followed, intrigued by her sudden reaction.

"That's him!" Mary pointed towards the screen. "Bottom left. That's the guy who kidnapped Angela."

"Jordon Nevins. He landed on the island three days ago." Kono informed them.

The team immediately went into action, trying to track this guy down and eventually came up with a lead. Steve rushed to his office to grab his gun and Danny pulled Allison aside.

"The cake is in my car," He told her referring to the gun shaped birthday cake they had all pitched in to buy Steve as his birthday was the following day and they planned on celebrating that night. "But this case got in the way and I haven't been able to bring it up yet. Wanna hang around the office for a while so you can distract him when we get back?"

"Yeah, sure." Allison nodded as Steve walked back out of his office.

"Thanks," Danny whispered before quickly turning to walk away.

"Hey, wait!" Steve said, looking at the two of them suspiciously.

"Wait? Steve we're on a strict timeline here." Danny reminded him.

"Yeah, but what is going on?" Steve asked. "This is the second time today you've stopped talking to someone when I walked in the room!"

"Me and Danny are having an affair," Allison joked, trying to distract him. "The baby's his."

Steve chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"Fine. Have your secrets, but I'm onto you." He warned them.

Allison smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Okay, but you really should get back to work, slacker."

Steve shook his head at her teasing before doing as he was told and leaving with Danny.

* * *

Later that day, after Steve had once again fixed everything, Allison stood outside his office, watching as her boyfriend comforted his sister. A smile played on her lips as the two hugged, happy that things were good between them. Even though she hadn't spent too much time with Mary, Allison liked her and as her and Steve were beginning their own family she liked the idea of Mary being around more.

"Hey, everything all good in there?" Danny asked, coming up behind her.

"Yeah, I think so," Allison nodded. "They seem to have made up."

"Good because everything's ready out here," He told her before pushing Steve's office door open. "Okay, if you two are done draining each other emotionally, I have something I have to show you if you've got a minute?"

"Sure," Steve said before moving from where he leaned against his desk and walking out of the office.

His brisk pace quickly slowed though as Kono and Chin walked in, singing happy birthday while carrying a cake. As everyone else joined in, Allison snuck up beside him and slid an arm around his waist. He returned the gesture, squeezing her gently as the grenade shaped cake was placed in front of him. Once the song was over, he blew out the candles as everyone clapped.

While Kono cut the cake, Allison kept a promise she had made earlier that day and pulled Steve's head down before placing her lips against his. The kiss was slightly more passionate than what the couple was used to sharing in public, especially with his team around, but Allison was asked by Kono to provide a distraction so she did just that.

"Wow," Steve mumbled when she finally pulled away. "What was that?"

"Just a little pre-birthday present," She smiled, keeping her voice quiet as well. Steve returned her smile before turning his attention back to his team and accepting a piece of cake from Kono.

As he said something about being impossible to surprise, probably referring to the fact that he had found the first birthday cake they'd bought him, and took a huge bite of cake, Allison tried and failed to hold in her giggles. He shot her a strange look, wondering what she was up to when the taste of the cake finally hit him.

"Surprise," Danny smirked as Kono waved a small salt shaker at her boss. He laughed, appreciating their joke before offering a bite to the rest of the team. They all politely refused so with a laugh, he took another bite before gagging.

"You're gonna make yourself sick," Allison said with a smile as she took the plate away from him.

After everyone had enjoyed a fresh, non-salted, piece of cake, they began discussing where to go for dinner. Steve stood behind Allison, his arms around her waist and hands resting in their usual spot on her stomach. It didn't take long for him to feel a small thud against his hands.

"I'll never get used to that feeling," He whispered in her ear. Allison smiled and placed her hand over his.

"Me neither," She agreed. "And I feel it pretty constantly. I'm not sure about being a Seal, but this boy certainly has a good kick-boxing career ahead of him."

"Well it won't be long until you don't have to deal with it anymore," He assured her, surprised when his words seemed to have the opposite effect, making her sigh.

"And I bet you a million dollars I'll miss it when he's born. I really do like being pregnant." She confessed. "And the kicks are kinda comforting, they let me know he's still doing okay in there."

"He should stop doing it at night though," Steve said. "I know he keeps you awake."

"Yeah, he does," Allison shrugged. "But the doctor said that in the day when I'm moving around, it rocks the baby to sleep, but at night I don't move as much so he'll be awake more."

"Would it help if I had a stern talk with him?" Steve joked, placing a kiss on her neck.

"I don't think so," Allison laughed. "But if you're going to, can you tell him to stop shoving his little feet up under my ribs? It hurts like hell and he's started doing it at least three times a day."

Steve chuckled, but Danny interrupted before he could reply.

"Well if you too are done being disgustingly _adorable_ over there, we've all decided where we should eat," He informed them. "And I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry."

"I'm starving," Allison agreed.

"Well then let's go," Steve grinned, moving from his current spot to hold Allison's hand.

They all agreed to meet at a nearby restaurant in half an hour and quickly left to get ready.


	40. Chapter 40

A few weeks later Allison woke up to an empty bed. Despite being unsurprised by Steve's absence, she couldn't stop the sigh from falling from her lips. Steve claimed that the long hours and his increased level of stress was simply from some intense cases they'd been working lately, but there was no doubt in Allison's mind that it had something to do with Shelburne. However, it was obviously something Steve didn't want to talk about and since they had such limited time together lately, even though she had quit her job once she hit the seven month mark, Allison never brought it up, not wanting to ruin the time they did have.

Rolling over to look at the clock, Allison reluctantly dragged herself out of bed. The fatigue she felt now that she was seven and a half months along was only getting worse as she worried about Steve. Usually she let herself sleep in or at least relax in bed for a while after waking up, but today she had a doctor's appointment and couldn't give herself that luxury. She didn't have to be there for another two hours, but she moved slower these days thanks to her growing child and she also had to make a stop on the way. After the disaster she faced at one of her earlier visits to the doctor, she was relentless when it came to reminding Steve about her appointments. But with how distracted he'd been lately, she wasn't taking any chances and planned to swing by Five-0 headquarters on her way and the to pick him up.

It didn't take her long to get ready. She had a simple breakfast, took a quick shower and threw on some yoga pants and a tank-top, knowing there was no need to get dressed up. She grabbed her purse off the table by the door and left, giving herself plenty of time to catch the bus she was aiming for. However, when she walked outside she was surprised to see Steve's truck sitting in the driveway. He'd been suggesting they get her a car for a while now so she wouldn't have to take the bus while pregnant and to help after the baby was born, but it was still unusual for him to leave her the truck. She smiled at his thoughtfulness before quickly going back inside to grab the keys before heading to his office.

* * *

The second she walked into Five-0 headquarters, Allison knew something was wrong. It seemed quieter than usual and the look of what can only be described as pity on Kono's face made her heart begin to race.

"Hey, Kono," She said, smiling in an attempt to hide her concern.

"Hey," Kono returned the smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Just picking up Steve for my doctor's appointment," Allison explained.

However as the smile fell from Kono's face and was replaced with a look of confused disbelief, Allison's worries began to multiply.

"He didn't tell you?" She asked.

"No? Tell me what?"

Kono shifted uncomfortably, but before she could reply, Danny raced out of his office.

"Hey, Ally. Come here for a sec."

It was more of a demand than a question so Allison followed and it wasn't until she was safely sat in his office that she began demanding answers.

"What's going on, Danny?" She asked finally. "Where's Steve? What didn't he tell me?"

Danny simply replied with a sigh before reaching into his desk and passing her an envelope with her name written across the front in Steve's hand writing.

"_Dear Ally,_

_First of all, I just want to tell you how much I love you and how excited I am to start our family together. Unfortunately though, that is the reason that I have to leave for a while. I've made some powerful enemies over the years and you felt firsthand the pain that they are willing to inflict to get to me and I'm not willing to risk you ever having to go through something like that again or worse, have them go after our son._

_You may have noticed that Joe White hasn't been around at all lately and I need to find him so that I can find some answers. If I don't, I won't be capable of doing my job as a cop, a boyfriend or even as a father as well as I know I can._

_I'm sorry that I can't tell you this in person, but I knew you'd try and stop me. This is something I need to do, Ally. I need to be able to know that the people responsible for the death of my parents aren't still out there, just waiting to hurt my new family as well. I don't expect you to understand and I know you'll be mad, but remember that I love you and that I'm doing this to keep you and the baby safe._

_I'll be back before he's born. I promise._

_Love,_

_Steve_"

By the time Allison was done reading, tears had welled up in her eyes. She carefully folded up the letter, thinking over what he had said as a thousand emotions flooded her mind.

"I got one too," Danny told her, breaking the silence and silently cursing his partner. He understood why Steve would leave, but doing it now and telling Allison in this fashion seemed like an obviously bad decision.

Allison looked up at the man in front of her as she continued to fight back the tears.

"I'm gonna need my apartment back," She managed to choke out before standing and quickly walking out of Danny's office, leaving the detective momentarily stunned. However, it didn't take him long to realize that he was going to have to do a lot more than lead the team for Steve while he was gone.

* * *

By the time Allison had made it home, all she felt towards Steve was anger. She knew it was probably some kind of defense mechanism and that she'd have to deal with how incredibly hurt and heartbroken she was sooner or later, but for now she decided to let the anger fuel her and help her pack as quickly as she could.

She was still in the middle of packing her things fifteen minutes later when she heard sirens outside. Knowing exactly who it was, she simply rolled her eyes as the front door flew open and the intruder stomped up the stairs.

"Sirens? Really Danno? Don't you think that's a little dramatic?" She said without even looking up from her suitcase as Danny appeared in the doorway.

"I was in a hurry," He justified. "I'm trying to save my partner's relationship here."

"Your partner should be doing that himself!" Allison spat angrily.

"If my partner was here and able to do that himself, he wouldn't need to." Danny reminded her.

"You're not really helping your case," Allison told him as she walked over to the closet.

"Stop packing," It was more of a plea than the demand that he had intended it to be. "Don't you think you're overreacting just a little?"

That comment got Allison's attention and she spun on her heels to face him.

"Overreacting?! You think I'm overreacting?" She yelled, fighting to keep back her tears with all the determination she could muster. "My boyfriend just left for god knows how long and he didn't even the balls to tell me to my face! He just left me some stupid letter, knowing I'd be pissed because he promised he wouldn't do things like this anymore!"

"I know, Allison." Danny said, sympathetically. "I don't understand why he went about this the way he did, but he's doing it because he has to. He needs to keep you and your baby safe and that, I understand completely."

"Oh don't give me that crap!" Allison's voice was still raised despite Danny's calm tone. "He's not doing this for me, he's doing it for himself! He's doing to it satisfy his personal vendetta against Wo Fat which apparently means more to him than keeping his word to me!"

Danny stayed quiet. He knew Steve felt that Allison and their child would be safer with Wo Fat behind bars or dead, but he couldn't deny his own suspicion that this mission was partially for revenge as well. Steve wanted justice for his parents and even though that was understandable, he chose a very bad time to disappear without a trace in search of it.

"Okay, so we're in agreement that Steve made a bad choice," Danny said, hoping she'd be more cooperative if she felt he was on her side. "But where are you gonna go, Ally? I can't give you your apartment back."

"Home. I'm flying back to the mainland."

Allison's announcement was met with a simple raise of Danny's eyebrows.

"You can't," He told her. "It's not safe to fly after your six months pregnant or something like that and there's no way a doctor would clear you with your already increased stress level."

"I'm sure my stress level would go down drastically if I could get off this damn island," Allison muttered. "But fine. I'll stay in a hotel and fly home once the baby's born."

As she spoke, she piled the last few of her clothes into the suitcase and fought with the zipper as Danny stood, baffled by her determination.

"So you're really going to leave and keep Steve from his child?"

"Trust me, I'm doing them both a favour." Allison insisted as she dragged her suitcase off the bed and onto the floor. "It'll be easier for Steve if I leave now, before he has a chance to get attached to the baby instead of in two years when they've had a chance to bond. And it'll be easier for our son if he doesn't ever have to know what it's like to worry about whether or not his dad's going to come home alive every time Steve decides it's his personal responsibility to save the day."

"I bet if you gave Grace the choice, she'd rather worry about me while I'm at work than not know me at all," Danny pointed out, but Allison simply shook her head.

"That's different. I'm not talking about the work you guys do every day." She clarified. "I'm talking about the ridiculous missions that Steve can't resist going on!"

"I still think-"

"I know what's best for my family," Allison interrupted him. "And I've made up my mind."

She felt her lip quiver slightly as her tough, angry exterior began to crack. Knowing she was losing the battle against her emotions, Allison quickly took out her keys and pulled the key to Steve's house off the ring.

"Lock the door on your way out," She said, pressing the key into Danny's hand as she walked by him.

"Okay," He mumbled, nodding slightly before letting her leave.

She made it to the bottom of the stairs before the tears she was fighting back broke through and began to roll down her cheeks. As she walked towards to road to flag down a taxi, she pulled out her phone and dialed the number of the one person she absolutely knew wouldn't let her down.

"Daddy," She sobbed out as soon as her father answered. "I need your help."


	41. Chapter 41

Just as she knew they would, Allison's parents flew out to Hawaii as soon as she had sobbed out a brief explanation of the newest disaster she had gotten herself in. They booked the penthouse suite at one of Hawaii's fancier hotels, despite Allison's protests, and promised they'd stay as long as she needed them too. She intended to take advantage of the support and let them stay for a while, but Allison had even surprised herself by how well she was coping with everything. Well, at least pretending to when other people around. During the days she was managing quite well to keep things together and it wasn't until the night came and she was alone in the painfully empty queen size hotel bed that she fell apart. That was when her mind started to race and her chest got tight as she thought about the massive responsibility she'd taken on by leaving and how much she still loved Steve even though it felt like he had literally stomped on her heart. The worries kept her up at night too. She'd expected to care less after leaving him, but that wasn't the case. She still knew he was out there on some crazy mission and every night of the three weeks since she'd left, she worried that he was going to get hurt.

After a particularly rough night, Allison stayed in bed as long as she could, not feeling very confident that she'd be able to hold it together that day. However, the longer she laid there, the more squirmy she felt her son become. She smiled weakly and rubbed her stomach.

"We can do this," She whispered, trying to convince herself more so than her unborn child. "I promise."

With one finally sigh, Allison pulled herself out of bed, knowing she'd have to start the day sooner or later.

* * *

"Well good afternoon," Her mother said when she finally walked out of her bedroom after having a quick shower. "I was beginning to worry."

"I'm fine," Allison assured her, sitting on a chair next to the couch where her parents were. "I just didn't sleep well last night."

"Would you like something to eat?" Her mom asked.

"Sure, just some toast would be good." Allison requested. Her mother nodded and went to the little kitchenette. "What are we watching?" She asked her dad.

"Oh just some documentary on..." Her dad trailed off as a 'breaking news' flashed across the screen. "Actually, the news."

Allison smiled, turning to watch the news anchor on the screen.

"Well it looks like once again the governor's Five-0 task force, led by Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, has saved the day," The anchor said.

"Turn it off," Allison demanded, reaching for the remote, but her father moved it, waving her off.

"McGarrett led the attack against wanted criminal Wo Fat which led to the discovery of a murdered CIA agent yesterday afternoon." The reporter continued. "But while his team worked to solve the case, McGarrett faced his own troubles while bringing Wo Fat back to Hawaii for trial. The plane he was on, crashed on a remote island and was attacked by the Yakuza, a Japanese gang. However, they were no match for our local hero and despite having to fight them all by himself, he managed to keep control of his prisoner, take over their helicopter and get home safe. Yakuza involvement is also suspected in the death of the CIA agent, but nothing has been confirmed yet."

As footage of Steve arriving back in Hawaii came onto the screen, Allison had enough and snatched the remote from her father before he could protest.

"He's cute!" Her mother smiled as Allison turned off the television.

"Yeah, adorable," Allison replied curtly, not impressed that they'd made her sit through that.

"He seems like a very brave man," Her father mused.

"Brave? He's not brave. He's selfish." Allison insisted. "He still thought he had a family waiting for him, but he put himself in a situation that made him a target anyway. He risked his life for his stupid need to get revenge."

"His revenge seems pretty justified to me," Her father said with a shrug.

"Excuse me?" Allison practically shrieked. "This man broke your only daughter's heart, seduced her into a relationship, knocked her up and then broke her heart again! You're supposed to hate him with the same fiery passion that I do, not take his side!"

"I'm not taking his side, Ally-cat. But the man he just put in jail almost had you killed not too long ago. It seems perfectly reasonable that he would want to get rid of that threat before your child was born!" Her father explained. "And I'm not mad at him for 'knocking you up' either. You're a responsible adult and it takes two to tango. You're just as much to blame as he is."

"It's not perfectly reasonable. It was reckless and I am not going to make my son suffer through losing a father that he knows and loves when one of Steve's superhero missions finally goes wrong." Allison insisted. "And that is not up for discussion."

As she spoke, she stood from her chair and without waiting for any kind of response, she turned, grabbed the plate from her mother and went back to her room.

* * *

Allison's self-exile didn't take long to take a toll on her emotional state. Being alone meant she had nothing to do, but think and after hearing about Steve's latest accomplishment and how happy he looked as he reconnected with his team on the news footage, Allison's emotions were all over the place. Anger was the main thing she was feeling. Steve risked his life again and came very close to losing it even though he knew he would soon have a child that needed him and at that point he had no idea that Allison wasn't going to let him be in that child's life. Because of that, Allison felt very strongly that Steve had just proved he was not ready to be a responsible parent. However, even through her anger she felt relief. She still loved Steve more than she had ever thought she would and didn't want him to get hurt. Most surprisingly of all, Allison felt guilt. She knew that Steve would be crushed after the excitement of his accomplishment died down and he found out that she'd left, but, fighting back her tears, she knew it was better to leave now than after their son was born.

A few days later, Allison found herself deep in thought once again, but was pulled out when she felt a slight jolt in her stomach as the baby kicked. She noticed lately that his movements had been less intense and was filled with guilt for a whole new reason.

"I'm sorry," She mumbled, lip quivering as she rubbed her stomach gently. "I know it's bad for you when I get upset. Your little stress levels go up when mine do. But your daddy's a big jerk and we can't see him anymore and that makes mommy really sad."

She sat on the edge of her bed, still desperately fighting back the tears. She'd cried almost constantly for the first day after seeing Steve on the news, but had quickly realized she needed to get herself together for the sake of the baby. It was easier said than done, but she'd managed it and wasn't happy at the prospect of another pitiful cry session.

She was just beginning to get her emotions in check a few minutes later when there was a knock on her door. She was surprised, since her parents had left her alone for the most part these last few days to let her work through her problems, but thought for a moment that it might provide a nice distraction.

"Allison, your phone is ringing." Her mother said timidly, obviously not wanting to upset her daughter any more.

"What does the caller ID say?" She asked already knowing who the only possible caller could be. The moment of silence from her mother was an answer all on its own.

"Steve," Her mom confessed before quickly continuing. "But I really do think you should answer it. He deserves a chance to explain himself."

"Hit ignore, mom." Allison commanded. "He doesn't deserve anything. It took him this long to even call and that obviously shows where his family is on his list of priorities!"

"He's a very busy man, Allison. And that doesn't mean you don't need to talk to him," Her mother insisted. "I don't think you realize just how big of a task raising a child is. You're going to want the help."

"I know what I'm doing, mother." Allison snapped. "So just mind your own damn business!"

As soon as she said it, she regretted it. Her mother and father had been nothing, but amazing and supportive since they had arrived, even though they were hurt that she hadn't told them about the pregnancy, and she knew it was wrong to speak to her mother so rudely after all her help. Her mother was obviously not impressed either.

"Allison Jace," She began in the scolding tone that Allison had grown very familiar with over the years. "Come out of that room right now and call that man back."

Not wanting to make her mother angry after everything she'd done, Allison reluctantly got off her bed and headed to the door, dreading the phone call that she was about to make.

* * *

**Authour's note: Sorry it's kind of a cliffhanger! I'm going away for the weekend and won't be able to update until next week. Also, I think the next chapter will be the last but have no fear...I plan on writing a sequel very soon after season three starts! :)**


	42. Finale: Part 1

**Authour's note: So I did some thinking and I realized that I had too much stuff planned to cram it all into one chapter so I split the finale into two parts. So there is one more update coming after this! :)**

* * *

"Allison," Steve answered on the first ring, relief filling his voice.

"Hello Steven," Allison replied shortly, wanting to make it clear that she was not happy to be making this call.

"What happened?" He asked. "I came back and you were just gone..."

"Oh I'm sorry," Her words were dripping with sarcasm. "Would you have liked me to leave you a letter?"

Steve was silent and Allison knew she had made her point.

"So that's what this is about? You're angry that I didn't tell you before I left." He guessed, but his assumptions only made Allison's temper rise.

"Of course I'm angry about that! You should've at least had the balls to tell me to my face," Allison said, her voice rising with her temper. "But that's not why I left. I left because you're a selfish asshole who broke a promise you made to me and by doing so, proved that you are not ready to be a responsible parent."

"I am ready, Ally." He insisted.

"Ready for what? To break our child's heart like you broke mine?"

"No, I'm ready to be a parent."

"Well you have a really shitty way of showing that,"

Allison heard Steve groan in frustration.

"This was me being a responsible parent," Steve argued. "I had to make sure that there was no threat against you or the baby before he was born. I explained that in the letter!"

"Yeah, you did, but it was total bullshit!" Allison yelled, struggling to keep all her emotions in check. "For fuck's sake, I'd be less mad if you'd just man up and admit that you were being selfish! You wanted Wo Fat for everything he'd done to you in the past, not just to stop him from hurting anyone in the future."

"Okay, Allison," Steve's tone had turned harsh and angry as well. "I'll admit I was being selfish when you admit that you're doing the same thing. You didn't leave to protect our son from me, you left because I hurt your feelings and you've decided that you can't deal with all the worry that comes along with being my girlfriend."

"That is not true. I'm just doing what's best for our child."

"Are your hormones affecting your logic?" Steve asked, raising his voice. "I would be a damn good father and you know it!"

"This conversation is over, Steven." Allison decided, not pleased with this attitude. "I've made my decision."

"Ally, wait!" Steve demanded just as Allison was about to hang up.

"What?" Allison replied after being silent for a few moments.

"I found my mom," Steve informed her, all the anger gone from his voice.

"What?" Allison snapped, assuming this was some stupid lie to keep her on the phone. "Your mother is dead, Steven."

"No, she's not." He assured her. "She's Shelburne. She faked her death."

Allison felt her anger ease slightly at the happiness that Steve let slip into his voice.

"Steven, that's great." Allison said genuinely. "I'm happy for you, really. That's amazing."

"Yeah, I can't believe I found her," Steve continued. "So it was worth it after all."

That comment let all the anger flood back into Allison's mind.

"Good. Well I hope you still feel that way in ten years, when you have a child who doesn't know you."

With that final comment, Allison hung up and threw her phone onto her bed.

* * *

After the phone call Allison's mind was so busy she thought it might explode. Her mother was less than impressed by the results of the call and even though her dad chose to stay quiet at the risk of upsetting her, it was clear he shared her mother's opinion. Allison, however, still felt she had made the right choice. The only thing that she regretted was her snotty end to the call. Steve obviously had a lot going on in his life and while she didn't think that excused his actions, she thought she could have been a little less harsh about things.

Desperate for some kind of advice, Allison had called Macy and was disappointed when that only seemed to make her feel worse. When she had first told Macy about what happened she had been supportive. She didn't agree with the decision, but respected Allison's choice, but this time she seemed to have a change of heart. She told Allison that she should feel guilty about what she said and that Steve was trying to fix things and she was stupid not to let him back into her life. Of course, Macy was too sweet to say it exactly like that, she sugar-coated her opinion in an attempt to keep Allison calm, but her message came through loud and clear and left Allison feeling more alone than ever.

After spending the entire afternoon sulking in bed, Allison decided she needed to get herself together. She knew it wasn't good for the baby for her to mope around all the time and she was getting hungry and knew not being fed was also not great for her child. So with a sigh, she dragged herself out of bed, got dressed and, after saying a quick goodbye to her parents, left in search of dinner.

* * *

When Allison stepped out of the elevator, she immediately wished she hadn't. There, sitting in an arm chair in the hotel lobby, was the one man she didn't want to see.

"Ally!" Steve shouted, leaping out of the chair.

"Steve," She started once he was closer. "I'm the size of a planet and I can't run away from you so please do the decent thing and walk away yourself."

"You're not the size of a planet," Steve assured her, not taking his eyes off her stomach. "You look beautiful."

Alison rolled her eyes.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, Steven."

"I know, that wasn't why I said it. It's true." He insisted. "I missed you."

Allison felt the tears well up in her eyes at his genuine tone.

"I should go," She informed him, trying to get away before she caved. However, he caught her arm to stop her.

"Can we please just talk?" He begged. "You can't walk away without even letting me defend myself!"

"You can't defend yourself, Steve." Allison said. "But okay. I'll give you five minutes."

Steve nodded and led her over to a chair. He was quiet for a moment or two, just staring at her as if he was trying to memorize her face.

"You wanted to talk," She reminded him. "Don't waste your five minutes staring at me."

"Sorry, I just..." Steve trailed off and looked down at his hands for a moment before looking back up at Allison. "I love you so much. And I don't want to lose you."

Allison felt the tears fill her eyes once again.

"I love you too," She admitted. "But we have to think about the baby. I can put up with the stress and the worry, I'd hate every minute of it, but I could do it. But our son won't understand and when he gets older and starts asking questions...I don't ever want to have to tell him that his daddy died on some crazy mission for revenge."

This wasn't how she had planned this at all. She was supposed to be strong and angry, not open her heart like this.

"You won't have to, Alliy." Steve insisted. "I won't do this again, I promise."

Allison smiled weakly, but shook her head.

"I want to believe you, but I can't. You said that when I told you I was pregnant, but you did it anyway. And you snuck off, leaving me a stupid letter so that you wouldn't have to deal with how much you hurt me." She pointed out. "I have to protect our son from that."

Steve was quiet. He looked thoughtful, as if he was trying to make a decision. To Allison's surprise, he stood up a moment later.

"There's someone I want you to meet." He said, holding out his hand to help her up.

"What? Who?" She asked, taking his hand only because she knew it would take her forever to get up from the chair by herself.

"Someone who knows all about making tough decisions to do what she thinks is the best thing for her family."


	43. Finale: Part 2

**Authour's note: First, I just want to warn everyone that there are a few spoilers from the first episode of season three in this chapter. **

**Second, I want to thank every single person who favourited this story, commented on this story or even just read it and enjoyed it. The positive feedback and encouragement has been amazing! **

**Thirdly, I have a few ideas in the works for the sequel, but as you've probably noticed I like to keep the story in line with the show so I'm going to wait a few weeks into season three before I really start writing it. I definitely will be writing a sequel though.**

**Once again, thank you so much for all the support and I hope you enjoy the final chapter! :)**

* * *

Allison stayed silent for the entire car ride, trying to show Steve how unhappy she was that he had dragged her along. He made one phone call, to whoever they were meeting, arranging to meet them at a local restaurant, but other than that he stayed silent too.

Once they arrived, Allison's suspicions were confirmed as Steve introduced her to the woman standing outside one of the fancier restaurants in the area.

"Allison, I would like you to meet my mother, Doris McGarrett," Steve said. "And Doris, I would like you to meet my girlfriend, Allison Jace."

"Ex-girlfriend," Allison corrected him, through clenched teeth as she shook Doris' hand. "But it's nice to meet you."

"You too," Doris replied, her surprise evident. "I'm sorry if this is stupidly obvious, but you're very pregnant."

Allison smiled.

"Yes, I am."

"Anyone care to fill me in?" Steve's mother asked, looking expectantly at her son.

"Yeah, I will." He promised before opening the door. "But let's get a table first. It's a long story."

Doris nodded, still looking a little stunned as she walked through the door.

* * *

"So," Doris started once they had ordered their food. "I'm going to be a grandma?"

"Yes and that's why I brought you here," Steve informed her. "Because Allison has lost her mind."

"Excuse me?!" Allison practically shrieked.

Doris, however, simply shook her head at her son.

"Steven, that is no way to talk about the mother of your child." She scolded.

"It is when she's decided that I won't ever be able to see that child because it needs to be protected from me." Steve explained, summing up the situation.

Doris was about to reply, but Allison jumped in to defend herself and her actions.

"Not from _you_, Steve," She clarified. "From your job and your stupid little hero complex."

"I don't have a hero complex," Steve rolled his eyes.

"Yes, you do." Ally insisted. "You always have to save the day and make sure everyone's happy or you don't sleep at night. And I know this because I've laid there beside you as you toss and turn because something that day didn't go exactly as you planned."

"Well, Allison, that would be because when things don't go exactly as I plan, people usually die." Steve informed her. "But how well I sleep at night has nothing to do with my ability to be a good parent!"

This time it was Doris' turn to cut Allison off as she interrupted the bickering couple.

"Alright, you two. That's enough." She said firmly. "Being at each other's throats isn't going to help you come to a decision about this."

"Oh, I've come to a decision," Allison informed her. "I'm going to stay here until a few weeks after the baby is born and then I'm moving back to the mainland where I plan to raise this baby by myself."

"Which is why I wanted you to come here and talk to her," Steve said to his mother, his clenched fists giving away how hard he was trying to hide his frustrations.

"Well I can't really do anything until I know what you did to upset her so badly," Doris told her son before sipping her wine.

Steve sighed, slightly ashamed of his explanation.

"I told her I wouldn't take off on any dangerous missions without my team and then I left to find Joe, Wo Fat and Shelburne," Steve admitted.

"And he just left me a letter, he didn't even tell me face to face that he was going." Allison threw in to make him look even worse.

"Oh, Steve," His mother shook her head, obviously disappointed. "And why do you think I can help you fix this?"

"Because you did what you thought would protect your family and ended up making things worse," Steve explained. "And you said that you didn't want to tell my dad anything to save him from getting killed, but he was killed anyway. So what you thought was best, really made no difference and you might have even been able to do more good if you'd stayed."

Allison could see just how much Steve's life had been flipped upside down when he found out his mother was alive and she really did feel bad for him. It was this, and the fact that she knew he wouldn't like what she was about to say, that led to her reaching out and gently placing her hand on top of his, hoping the comforting gesture would soften the blow.

"But Steve, your mother faked her own death because she believed the only way to keep you safe was to not be in your life," Allison pointed out. "With everything going on right now, I think the same logic can be applied to our situation. And I am not willing to risk letting you into our lives now just so you can have that realization in a few years and disappear, leaving me with a heartbroken son that misses his daddy."

Doris simply sat back and watched as her son squeezed his possible ex-girlfriend's hand.

"I'm not going to leave you, Allison," Steve promised. "No more crazy missions. I needed to know that Wo Fat was in prison before our son was born and he is now. He's even being transferred to the mainland as we speak. And I'll admit that I needed to know who Shelburne was for selfish reasons, but I know that now too. And I really, more than anything in the world, want us all to work things out and be a family again."

Allison fought back tears as Steve spoke, but pulled back her hand and rested it on her lap.

"If I learnt one thing after you almost died in North Korea, it's that things never work out as simply as you say they will."

As if on cue, Steve's phone rang. He groaned, but quickly excused himself and left to answer it, leaving the two women alone. Doris decided to seize this opportunity to speak openly with the mother of her first grandchild.

"You seem very set in your decision and honestly, it may very well be the easiest choice you could make," Doris informed her. "But just because it will lead to less struggles and pain along the way doesn't mean it's the best choice overall. As Steve said, I thought I was protecting my family too, but I know now that they all suffered just as much without me around. It might be harder letting Steve be involved, but raising a child isn't supposed to be easy and I think we both know that Steve would be a very good father."

Allison listened to what Doris had to say, more because she didn't want to be rude by interrupting than because she actually wanted to hear her advice.

"I know he would," She agreed. "But I still can't risk putting my child through all the pain that I've been through since I met Steve,"

Doris nodded, noticing that Allison did seem slightly less confident in her words. They were quiet for a few moments before Doris spoke again.

"So," She said, breaking the awkward silence. "Boy or girl?"

Allison smiled and rested her hand on her stomach.

"A boy," She answered. "And from the way he kicks and punches, we've got another Navy Seal on our hands."

Doris laughed, but before she could ask any more questions, Steve came back.

"What's wrong?" Doris asked, the smile fading from her face as soon as she saw Steve's worried look.

"Wo Fat escaped," He replied. "We need to get both of you to a safe house right away."

Hearing this news, Allison's anger bubbled up again.

"See, this is what I mean, Steven!" She said, standing up so fast she almost knocked her chair over. "Nothing ever works out as simply as you say and now my life, and the life of our child, is in danger! No one ever tried to kill me or even wanted to hurt me before I met you! There is no way that being part of your life is safe for a child!"

There was more that Allison wanted to say, but a sharp pain in her stomach caused her to stop talking.

"Ally, what's wrong?" Steve asked, noticing the look on her face and how she had suddenly grabbed her stomach.

"Nothing, nothing. I'm fine," She insisted as the pain disappeared about thirty seconds after it began.

The two McGarrett's looked at each other, both having the same thought.

"Allison, I think that was a contraction," Doris informed her, but Allison shook her head.

"Nope, it can't be. I'm only thirty-four weeks."

"You've been under a lot of stress lately," Steve pointed out. "Maybe he's coming early. We should get it checked out just in case,"

His suggestion was met with a nasty glare from Allison and he prepared himself to be shot down. However, Allison's expression quickly changed from anger to horror and when Steve saw the puddle at her feet, he knew why.

"My water just broke!" Allison panicked. "Oh god, I'm in labour."

Steve stood frozen, staring wide-eyed at the woman he loved until his mother's voice pulled him back to reality.

"You'll be fine, honey," She comforted the young woman in front of her. "Steve, go grab the truck."

Steve nodded, still half-dazed and quickly did as he was told.

* * *

The ride to the hospital was a stressful one. Allison was sitting in the passenger seat of Steve's truck trying to breathe through contractions while Steve drove at least forty kilometers over the speed limit and Doris sat in the back trying to keep everyone calm.

"Steven, honey, if you keep driving like this we're going to be in an accident before we get to the hospital," Doris warned her son.

"What? I'm driving like I always do."

"I hope you're exaggerating," She said, her motherly concern coming through. Steve ignored her so she gave up and changed the subject. "So do we have a name yet?"

Before Allison even had time to open her mouth, Steve had answered for her.

"Sawyer," He told his mother. "Sawyer John Steven McGarrett."

"Uh, no." Allison piped up. "Sawyer John Steven Jace."

"Since when?!" Steve asked angrily.

"Well I can't cut you out of his life and still give him your last name!" Allison pointed out.

"Oh, but it's still totally fine to name him after me and my father?"

"Well I wouldn't have to explain that!" Allison argued. "And I thought you'd appreciate being part of his life in some way."

"I would appreciate being in his life in every way!" Steve shouted, unable to control his frustration.

"Do not yell at me because you are being selfish!" Allison shouted back. Steve was about to protest again, but Allison cut him off by groaning and clutching her stomach. After writhing in pain for a few minutes, Allison reached over and flicked on the siren. "I need those drugs, Steven. Hurry up!"

Steve simply nodded and sped up a little bit more.

* * *

"Did you call my parents?" Allison asked Steve as she laid in a hospital bed. Steve was right by her side while Doris was in the waiting room with Danny there to serve as her protection.

"Yes, I did. I called them an hour ago." Steve answered from his spot beside the bed.

"And they're bringing my stuff and the stuff for the baby?" Her labour was progressing quite quickly and the fact that her parents hadn't arrived yet was beginning to worry her.

"Yes, they are." Steve smiled, knowing he'd already answered these questions. "Everything's going to be fine, Ally. You just need to relax."

"Relax?" Allison groaned as another contraction started. "I can't relax! This wasn't supposed to happen like this!"

"What do you mean?" Steve asked as he tried to keep track of how long the contraction was.

"It's too early! I still had at least three weeks to go, possibly five!" She reminded him. "And you weren't supposed to be here! I don't want you to get attached."

Steve sighed and waited until the contraction had passed to reply.

"I'm already attached," He admitted, reaching out to hold her hand. "He's my son too and I love him already. I should be here."

Allison simply looked away, blinking back tears, but didn't pull back her hand.

* * *

Five hours later, Allison was nine hours into her labour. Her parents had arrived a few hours before, with everything that Allison had needed them to bring. Steve had hoped her stress level would drop once her parents were there and she had all her things, but, despite the fact that she had spent most of her time ignoring him, he had noticed that there didn't seem to be much change. When a nurse came in a few minutes later, his suspicions were confirmed.

"Well Ms. Jace, it appears your heart rate is slightly elevated." She informed her. "I know this is a stressful process, but it will make things easier if you try and relax."

"Why does everyone keep telling me to relax?" Allison whined. "It's not that easy."

The nurse offered a sympathetic smile, but Steve's face wore a heavy frown as he stood up.

"I'll leave," He said quietly, but to his surprise, as another contraction hit Allison, she reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Don't you dare," She said through clenched teeth, breaking her silence towards him.

"Ally, if me being here is stressing you out and making this harder on you than it needs to be, I'll leave."

"You can't leave me alone in here," Allison begged, still fighting through the pain. "I can't get through this by myself."

She was squeezing his arm so hard that he felt her nails break his skin, but he sat down, a smile on his face.

"I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that you could," Steve told her, prying her hand from his arm. "But I'm more than happy to stay."

Allison let out a sigh of relief and gently squeezed his hand.

"Thanks," She mumbled as the nurse got ready to examine her.

"You are officially ten centimeters dilated, Ms. Jace," The nurse informed her a few minutes later. "Which means it is time to push and I will be right back with your doctor."

As the nurse left Allison felt another wave of panic roll over her.

"Oh god, I'm not ready for this," Allison told Steven. "This already hurts way more than everyone said and it's about to get even worse."

Steve smiled, gently rubbing his thumb on the back of her hand.

"You're doing great, babe," He assured her. "You can do this."

Allison, however, seemed even tenser after his words of comfort.

"Don't call me 'babe', Steven." She warned him. "Just because I need you to stay for this, doesn't mean anything's changed."

"I know," Steve lied. He had thought she might have had a change of heart, but knew now was not the time to argue.

* * *

"Okay, Allison," The doctor said about ten minutes later. "1, 2, 3, push!"

Allison did as she was instructed, squeezing Steve's hand the whole time.

"Oh my god, I can't do this," She groaned, leaning back against the pillow when the doctor told her to relax.

"Yes, you can." Steve insisted, trying to squeeze her hand in a comforting way despite the fact he could hardly feel his fingers anymore.

"You're doing really well," The doctor agreed. "But you need to get ready to push again, okay?"

Allison nodded weakly and waited for the doctor to give her the command before pushing again.

"You're almost there," The doctor encouraged after Allison was done pushing for the second time.

Allison took a deep breath as Steve looked down to see what was happening. As he saw the top of his little son's head, he could hardly contain his excitement and how proud he was of Allison.

"You're amazing," He mumbled before, without even thinking about it, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. Too overwhelmed and tired to protest, Allison simply smiled before the doctor told her to push again.

Aftewards, as Allison flopped back against the pillow for the third time, the doctor told her the best news she'd heard all day.

"Okay, one more big push should do the trick,"

"Thank god," Allison sighed.

Steve smiled as he took a moment to admire how beautiful the mother of his child looked despite how sweaty and exhausted she was, but before he had a chance to remind her how much he loved her, the doctor gave the order for one last big push.

Squeezing Steve's hand so hard he thought all of his fingers were about to break, Allison pushed with everything she had and a few seconds later they heard the cries of their son. Allison let out a sob of joy and relief as Steve got ready to cut the cord.

"Is everything okay? Is he healthy?" Allison asked, concerned about him being premature.

"He's a little smaller than he would've been," The doctor told her. "But he seems to be healthy other than that and he's still big for thirty-four weeks."

Allison smiled, happy that he was alright and that smile turned into a grin as the nurse brought over their baby, all clean and wrapped up in blankets. She was about to protest as he was placed into Steve's arms, but when she saw the look on his face and the tears in his eyes, she didn't have the heart.

He stared down at the little baby for a moment before looking back at Allison.

"I love you," He said, obviously fighting back his tears. "I love you both."

Allison didn't answer, she simply fought back tears of her own and reached up to stroke her sons cheek.

"So do we have a name?" The nurse asked, ready to fill out the birth certificate.

"Yes, we do." Allison nodded. "Sawyer John Steven McGarrett,"

And as Steve heard Allison give their son his last name, one little tear snuck past his defenses and rolled down his cheek.


End file.
